


Attack on Guyver

by LordAkira18



Category: Guyver, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, Alive Carla Yeager, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Slow Romance, Typical Guyver and AOT bloodshed, lots of characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-22 13:05:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17663204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordAkira18/pseuds/LordAkira18
Summary: In 845, the Walls fall. In another world, the year 2012, the Great War ends. Three young men met, with the fate of the world resting on their shoulders. This is a story about the fight for freedom, for what is right, and the terrible costs such fights take.





	1. Prologue(s)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Attack on Titan, it all belongs to Kodansha. I also don't own Guyver, it all belongs to Kadokawa Shoten. I only own my OCs.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In the beginning, it was all black and white." Maureen O'Hara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome!
> 
> This stands as the only crossover story between Attack on Titan and Guyver, a pet project of mind that grew from very small ideas on this story. This is a rewrite of a previous story I was working on, new and improved with better characterization and a more thrilling plot. 
> 
> This is not just going to be a story with action, drama and awesomeness. This is a story that will put our characters to the limit, and then some. This story will goes places I feel have yet to be tread. 
> 
> This is a story about friendship, loss, courage and despair. God and monsters, soldiers and warriors and heroes and villains. 
> 
> Welcome, to Attack on Guyver!

 

**Shiganshina District - Wall Maria**

**843**

The Wall loomed.

Sitting by the canal's bank, Eren Yeager looked up at the Wall that surrounded his hometown. He looked past the top of the Wall, at the sky high above. Clouds were dusted about like powdered sugar on treats and the wind washed over his skin warmly and gently.

It was a fine day.

Eren heaved a sigh.

He was outrageously bored.

It was a fine day, but it was also an uneventful one. There was nothing happening and nothing going on. So far, he had gone through the usual motions that he would on any other day

This annoyed him.

Everything was so—routine.

And so, with an abundant amount of free time on his hands, had gone off to be alone. There was really nothing else to do.

He had followed no particular direction, no particular path, only the wind and listened until sounds became distant and far away. He had moved and followed the canal until he came upon this quiet area of Shiganshina, not too far from the outer gate.

Eren had briefly pondered why the canal extended as far as it did into Shiganshina, considering that there was no gate that allowed the boats out of the town, before losing interest. Who cared? Probably some stupid grown-up reason.

He sighed again, a little rougher this time.

Not only was Eren bored, but he also felt a peculiar sense of irritation.

This anger had been present for some time now, an annoying little fire that had yet to go out. Refused to go out. Eren wasn't sure where it had come from, but it existed within him none the less, flaring at certain moments. Whenever he fought the bullies who hurt Armin. When people dismissed the Survey Corps, people who fought the Titans when others didn't. It came in sudden, unexpected bursts from comments people made that he just could not accept. Even from his mother and father.

It shimmered in him now, as he stared up at the pristine Wall. Where it not for the Wall, Eren imagined that he would have a view of a fresh green land under a clear blue sky that would span for miles and miles. As it stood now, he only had a cropped view of the sky.

Eren scowled. He was bored and irritated and he needed to do  _something_  because he kept feeling like he needed to  _break_  something.

Why couldn't something  _interesting_  happen?

"Eren!  _There_  you are!"

With a jolt of surprise, Eren wondered if there was indeed a God listening to prays. He turned his head, green eyes meeting the familiar form of his friend.

There was an odd bounce in Armin Artlet's steps as he trotted over to Eren, a large book held near protectively to his chest.

"What's up, Armin?"

"This!" Armin crowed, holding out the book with both hands. He seemed to be barely able to contain himself. "My grandpa had it hidden away. Believe it or not, this book is all about the outside world!

"The outside world?!" Eren's shock quickly turned into irritation. If this was Armin attempt at a joke, then he wasn't laughing. It was a well-known fact that everything and anything to do with the outside world was considered a taboo and to so much as speak about it was to be branded a heretic.

Armin should have been well aware of all this. He was, after all, super smart.

So it came as quite a surprise to Eren when the blonde, instead of reacting with worry or fear, proclaimed passionately. "This is much more important than that!" He dropped to his knees before Eren and the boy leaned back slightly, put off by the gleam in his friend's blue eyes. "Listen, according to this book, most of the world is covered by salt water so deep you can't reach the bottom! There's even a name for it too, they call it the sea!"

The words hit Eren like a hammer to the brain and he sat up, spine rigid. "S-salt?!" He couldn't believe it. He tried to imagine it but his mind failed to produce an image to the words Armin said. No, Eren dismissed, that couldn't be possible. It had to be a lie. Such a thing couldn't exist.

Besides, everyone and their great-uncle knew that if it were true, then merchants would have drained it away for supplies already.

Armin seemed to have expected such a response because he eagerly countered Eren's words. "No, that's the thing! The sea's so massive that it can never be depleted!"

Eren stared at Armin, disbelieving. A warm breath of air washed over them. He then snorted, tried to smile. "That's just silly…"

But the gleam in Armin's eyes never dimmed. There was no doubt or hint of deception.

Armin meant every word.

And in no time at all the book was laid down between them and Armin was happily pointing and explaining everything else that existed past the Walls. Water that glowed like fire, fields of ice, plains of sand and giant rocks that took days to climb.

And with each new thing, Eren felt the Walls grow just a little more larger. A little more encaging.

And the fire in his heart flared and burnt his soul.

Finally, it all made sense.

Finally, he understood.

He was trapped. They were trapped, all of them. Every person behind the Walls was locked away from a world that could offer them so much more. A world, which had been lost to them for a century. A world they could never hope to take back

A world lost to the Titans.

The Titans. He hated the Titans. Hated everything about them. Eren felt something akin to a fist squeezing the breath from his lungs. The Titans. Those slobbering, dead-eyed, evil  _monsters_...

The flame was now an inferno, festering under his skin.

He would kill them, he would  _kill them all-!_

"Eren…" Armin's voice, soft and full with an unusual firm determination, brought Eren back to reality. He looked up but his friend's eyes were on the book, seeing something Eren couldn't. "I hope, one day…that we'll get to explore the outside world."

The words crystallized in Eren's mind.  _'We.'_  Armin had not expressed a desire he wished to own alone, but one that he wanted to share with Eren. Where it anyone else, even himself, Eren knew he would not be so willing to share such a dream.

It warmed his heart that Armin was, but at the same time, there was anger.

Anger, because Eren didn't know how they would be able to achieve such a dream. There was so much that stood against them. Titans, the Walls, people. The latter Eren could possibly deal with, but the former two required more than he could give.

But Armin's dream was beautiful, and Eren wanted to repay this selfless kindness. Even if it was the last thing he would do.

Not too far from them, a bell rang out. Eren's ears perked up at the sound and he tore his gaze away from the book and Armin. He knew what the bell meant. Everyone in Shiganshina did.

The Survey Corps had returned.

And it was the most curious thing that Eren then realised that amidst the dangers that the Scouts faced, they went past the Walls on a monthly bases. The Survey Corps saw the outside world, or at least, as much of it as they could before they were forced to return to the Walls. He reflected on how they were the only ones willing to make a stand, to fight the Titans in their taken lands while others hide behind the comfort of the Walls.

People like those whose comments enraged Eren so, spitting on the efforts of those brave people who risked their lives.

People like those in Wall Sina, who probably had not a care in the world to the threat that stomped about beyond Wall Maria.

People like Hannes and his friends, who spent most of their time drinking and messing around.

People like himself.

Shame burned Eren before he fought it away, feeling the fire kindled in his chest.

Suddenly, he was not so bored and life was not so aimless.

Eren gave his friend a smile that belonged on a wolf. "We will, Armin. I'll make sure we do!"

He knew what he had to do now.

The only way forward, the only way to freedom, the only way for him and Armin to see the sea was through the Survey Corps

* * *

**London – England**

**2004**

A harsh wind washed down the street.

Grimacing, Joshua Martin hunched his shoulders and closed his eyes. His right hand laid over the pages of his book whilst his left secured its grip. Underneath his skin, he felt the pages fluttered like a bird's pulse.

Once the wind past, Josh sighed and smoothed his ruffled hair. The paperback folded close, his thumb an ersatz bookmark. Once he was satisfied, he quickly got back to reading.

England was renowned throughout the world for its less than cheerful weather. Stereotyped for its constant rain and constant chill. But when it was warm, it got warm. Today was a perfect example in the height of spring. As the sun gave the country a much-needed swell of warmth, it made staying in his front room nigh impossible. To sit there was to collect sweat and become uncomfortable and Josh really had no desire for either.

When one lacked a garden, as well as had parents with busy and time-consuming jobs, one made do with what they had. Sitting out on the uppermost steps of his home, he must have looked quite the sight. Sitting there alone, with nought but a book.

Cars rushed by and the odd person walked past but Josh paid them no mind, too immersed in the universe unfolding before him as his eyes rolled over the pages. The sun was warm on his skin but the occasional gale cooled him.

He was currently favouring a particular favourite of his. The fourth and final book in a series and it was, without question, the best of all of them.

The first had been terrible, poorly written with bad characters, a horrible start that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The second had been a massive improvement, with a stronger plot and better characters. It was also historical, which was a huge plus for him.

The third had been a simple but pleasant story, basic, really, in plot and structure, but with enough gruesome imagery and intrigue to keep him thoroughly entertained.

But this one, the final book, made all three pale in comparison. Ironic, really, that the series would have such a bad start but end so strongly.

How many times had he read this book? There was no answer because Joshua often returned to the start of the book once he had finished reading it.

His eyes trailed over the paragraphs of one of his many favourite moments of the novel. The Villain had separated the Hero and the Companion and now the Companion was spiralling into the Villain's chessboard. As she fell, the Companion was broken down and reconstructed, having to fight to keep the idea of herself together.

Josh loved this part because there came a moment where the Companion had the choice to be like everyone else yet she chooses the pain of being an outcast. She chose to be herself. Josh admired that, respected that.

Then there was the immediate part following, where she collected herself through the love she felt for the Hero. Between a blurb of words that she used defined him and a brilliant metaphor for his goodness (A thorny rose, beautiful but deadly), there came a line that had stuck with Josh long after he read the book the first time. One of many that kept drawing him back:

_"Here was something beyond herself which she cared for terribly, and painfully. Something that could never be part of a crowd."_

Josh loved that line. Loved this book. Admired the Hero's goodness and emphasized with the Companion's strife. But that line, that one sentence in the entire book, always gave him a moment's pause.

Joshua murmured, "Something that could never be part of a crowd."

In the corner of his eye, Josh caught sight of a small group of children around his age walking up the street. All of them in similar uniforms. Glancing at his watch, he realised that time had flown at it was now the time that public schools ended.

Josh returned his gaze to his book and waited for them to pass, a horrible prickling sense of dread filling him. It was only after they had passed his home, playing him no mind at all, as they chattered about obnoxious teachers and things to do now that they were free of the timetable, that he allowed himself to relax and take a stabilizing breath.

In place of his dread came a dull ache, nestling in his heart like a stone.

Josh watched them go, reflecting. There went a crowd that he would never be a part of. With a sting of pain, he remembered moments where a simple extension of the hand of friendship had been slapped aside with scorn or ridicule. Though he tried to mingle, he did not belong among them. He did not like the things they liked, sports and pop stars, and they did not like the things he liked, books and soft music.

So Josh stayed away, stayed with his books and the escape they offered, the passageways into worlds and lives far more colourful than his own. He stayed with the people he knew but, while on good terms with his neighbours, they would never be friends in the proper sense. Too much time between, too much not understood by both parties.

He stood alone.

And it was after he read this book, this book of good triumphing over evil, that Josh wondered: Was there someone out there, waiting for him? Someone who, like himself, did not belong? Who was not part of the crowd? Where they, together, could make their own crowd?

Joshua scoffed, bitterness curling his lips into a smile. He was being silly.

The book he was reading was a work of fiction, a fantasy that would never be real. Nothing about it was true. The Hero was an impossible person who could never exist and though the Companion could be real, people like her often got help. Even at the expense of themselves. To get such silly notions from one sentence was ludicrous, the high of stupidity.

And besides, he could never be like either the Hero or the Companion. He lacked the Hero's conviction to fight for a cause and the Companion's strength of character. He wouldn't have been able to last a second, doing the things they did. Again, experience had taught him so.

Joshua Martin could never be a hero, for he would never be good enough.

With a sigh, the ache heavy in his heart, Josh closed the book and rose to his feet. He pulled his house key from his pocket and went back inside his home. The sun was no longer warm.

* * *

**Washington DC – America**

**2001**

The room was cold and still.

A few days ago, the room would have been warm with character and life. Now, it was a corpse of its former self.

The antique desk drawers were barren, the bed was stripped of sheets, and all personal materials had been either boxed away or thrown away.

All except this one thing, given to him long ago. In what felt like another life.

Estevan Martinez stared down at the medal in his hand.

He stood in the cold and empty room, moonlight pouring through the window, staring down at the medal that had passed onto him. A token of love, a goal to strive for.

The medal had the image of a woman in Greek like clothing, standing upon a warrior's helmet with the sun rising behind it. In her hands was a broken sword, snapped in half. Inscribed on either side of the woman were the words World War II.

Estevan looked down at the simple, carved piece of metal and remembered the honour and duty that it signified. The bravery and sacrifice it represented. The awe it had brought forth in him. Now, as he looked at it, he could only feel the bleak, black despair of unendurable loss.

Estevan was no stranger to pain. Though only eight years old, he was quite familiar with physical pain. He could deal with physical pain easily, always had. This, though, this feeling like burning knives sinking into his heart, was new.

He hadn't imagined that pain like this existed in the world.

These past few weeks had been hell and Estevan knew things were only going to get worst. Everyone was in a panic, believing a new world war was on the horizon. Those that weren't panicking were still mourning the dead. Mourning those lost in the tragedy.

And the people in power? The people in charge? They were doing nothing, sitting by with their thumbs up their asses while the rest of them suffered. While those who had committed this vile, hideous action were still alive.

The very thought sent fury pooling thickly in his chest like magma, scaling his heart. His hands curled into fists, the pin of the medal sinking into his flesh. Estevan felt no pain.

It sickened him, right to his core, that such monstrous people lived in his world. Lived, and were not punished. Were not slaughtered for their crimes. But of course, there rules to follow. Rules and codes and shit like  _honour_  and  _justice_ even when people had literally been  _throwing_  themselves out the windows-

"FUCK!" With a furious shout, the medal flew from his hand and sailed through the air, colliding with the full body mirror on the wall. The mirror cracked.

Panting, Estevan stared at his shattered reflection.

How very poetic, how apt.

As Estevan stared at himself, as the moonlight cut across his face and was reflected in his eyes in blurs of red, he felt the rage harden. Felt the magma of his fury harden and crust over his heart. His breathing levelled out and he uttered, "Never."

There was evil in the world, and evil had to be fought.

But not as a soldier.

Being a soldier meant sacrificing himself to a cause he didn't really believe in, in following codes and rules he wouldn't have been able to stand. These things, like honour and justice, were merely shackles that would stop him from doing what was right.

Funny how it took the deaths of a few hundred people, plus one, to make him realise this.

"Never again."

Estevan Martinez swore, from that day onwards, that he would fight. But never under the orders of another.

He would fight for himself.

He turned away, leaving the medal on the ground of the cold and empty room as he closed the door behind. He never once looked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it!
> 
> I hope this introduction chapter has gotten you intrigued and I hope you follow me through this tale. I warm you now, the canon will be altered in ways you may not even fathom.
> 
> You'll see~


	2. Beginnings and Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together." Marilyn Monroe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Attack on Titan, it all belongs to Kodansha. I also don't own Guyver, it all belongs to Kadokawa Shoten. I only own my OCs.

**845**

* * *

This was the worst day of her life.

There was no doubt about this.

Only a sickening certainty that made Carla Yeager feel like her stomach was turning inside out.

She laid flat on her stomach, the weight of what had once been her home pressing down on her body as the afternoon breeze washed over her face. Her legs were cold and numb and Carla didn't need to see them to know that they wouldn't be able to be saved.

She was dead.

She was finished.

She could not escape and it would only be a matter of time before the Titans found her.

This was the end.

" _MOM!_ " Cutting through the cloud of hazy pain that polluted her mind, Carla's golden eyes opened in a mixture of relief and horror as her children came to her. She spoke their names in hushed whispers, watching blankly as they both tried to lift the wooden beam that kept her to the ground. Her son barked words to his sister, voice angry and desperate. His sister complied wordlessly and Carla wondered if she was the only one to notice the fear that radiated off her body.

Mothers tended to notice things like that.

Then came the footsteps. Deep, thundering, rattling the Earth.

_THUMP!_

_THUMP!_

_THUMP!_

She didn't need to look to know that they had all been sighted and a new kind of fear enveloped her. Something cold and ugly. Something like what animals felt when cornered. Words were flying from her mouth, frantic, telling her son to run. She cried his name when he seemed to miss them.

"I want to more than anything!" He cried to the heavens, eyes shuts and face curled with effort. She could see him straining, the muscles in his neck taut, saw the blood on his blistered fingers and had to fight the near comical urge to tell him to be careful. He wouldn't have listened to her anyway. "But first I need you on your feet!"

Eren Yeager.

Her son.

Her fighter.

Her boy who wanted to be a soldier more than anything, her feelings on the matter be damned.

Carla felt despair take her heart into a fist so tight that it almost took the words from her throat. She managed anyway, quiet but firm, telling him that walking was now impossible for her and to take his sister and run.  _To leave her behind._  And she could not help the anger in her voice to his stubborn response to  _carry her_  of all things and begged,  _begged_  him to listen to her. For once. At the same time, her daughter looked like she was trying hard not to cry.

Mikasa Ackerman.

Her adopted daughter.

Her son's watcher when she couldn't.

Her girl that her husband had brought home with him one day, completely out of the blue.

_"Grisha-"_ His face flashed before her mind, kind, smart, loving. That despair now had her throat in a stranglehold, her eyes burning. The deafening footsteps,  _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!,_  grew closer _._ _"Where are you? I need you!_ We _need you! Grisha!"_

And then finally, help.

Hannes was an old friend and a good soldier, despite whatever derogatory thing her son said behind his back. He would listen to her, wouldn't he? He would do what she could not, wouldn't he? Without wasting a second as he came up to her, ignoring the grimness that clouded his expression, she told him to take her children and run.

And instead of doing that, he arrogantly rushed off to fight.

The fool!

The complete and utter  _idiot!_

She'd have smacked him silly if she had any strength left in her body.

But then, just as she feared oblivion for her family, he was back. Without a glance at her, with what looked like the deepest of shame etched into his face, he grabbed Eren and Mikasa and ran. She thanked him as Eren screamed and cried all the while.

She screamed her love for her children.

Thrown over Hannes' shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Eren's expression broke her heart.

Suddenly, as the footsteps grew closer still, she realized that this was truly it. This was how she was going to die. Just like all those Survey Corps members who went past the Walls. She had tried, so hard, to move Eren off that path, to make him see how  _pointless_  it would have been.

Her eyes widened-

Eren.

-tears rolled down her cheeks-

Mikasa.

-and a hand came to cover her mouth to hold back her sobs.

Grisha.

She saw all of them, saw better times, saw the life she had lived.

And it was a life she didn't want to lose.

Amongst the repressed sobs, traitorous words left her lips and slipped past her hand.

"Don't leave me."

The footsteps came to a shuddering stop.

The Titan was there, brushing the debris of her home away like dead leaves of a tree before it had her in a pair of massive, warm hands. Turns out she did have some strength left in her, her closed hands coming down to worthlessly bang against the monster's hand. And it's  _face-_

Blonde hair. Blues eyes. Corners of its mouth stretched impossibly wide. So wide that its teeth and gums within were completely exposed to her. An entire face curled into an expression of twisted mirth.

_"Monster!"_ She thought with hate and terror.  _"MONSTER!"_

And then its mouth opened wide, its rotting breath washed over her and Carla stared into the abyss with wide unblinking eyes as she waited for the teeth to come down and-

_" **GUYVER!** "_

There was a great flash of red and blue and Carla cried out, slamming her eyes shut at the suddenness of it. Then she was falling, the arm of the hand holding her served just above the elbow and something cushioned was should have been a painful landing.

Something settled her, still trapped within the Titan's fingers as they begun to dissolve around her, gently to the ground.

She looked to her impossible saviour.

Eyes red as blood, glowing like lanterns. A horn. Red and black skin. Glowing forehead-

Carla Yeager promptly passed out.

* * *

He was falling.

Falling without end.

Weightless, as though in space.

Were they falling through space?

He couldn't tell.

He watched, unable to scream, as they fell through a corridor of stars. That was the closet his mind could come to comprehend what his eyes relayed to it. Like falling down a deep well, a black centre with walls glittering with stars and galaxies. It wasn't just space, he somehow knew.

It was time, space and matter. It was all flowing past him, around him, through him. He felt his bones rattled, his heartbeat pound in his ears, and the power of the Guyver flux within his core. Balls of light shot past his eyes, colours the like of which he had never seen before dance over him, and where there should have been fear there was only peace.

An explosion of clarity went off in his mind and suddenly the peace he felt made complete sense.

He had died.

They had died.

They had died, most likely in the final battle, in the final strike, and this was the motions.

They were dead. Everything else was mere detail.

That should have upset him, destroy what little of him was left, but it didn't.

They had won the battle and ended the war.

The others would be safe now.

Humanity would be safe now.

The world would be safe now.

He could  _rest_  now.

"I'm coming." He couldn't tell if he said the words, thought them, or if his mind was now free from the restraints of his skull. It didn't matter. "I'm coming, H-"

Then blinding light and-

-land, grass and flowers-

-wind roaring in his ears-

-getting close,  _too fast_ -

-crashing-

-spinning, rolling, head over feet-

-pain, dirt, bones bending and snapping-

-stopping-

-stillness-

-laying-

-clear skies-

-darkness.

* * *

_"This is it."_

_"Yeah, this is it."_

_"…Heh, I'm- I'm shaking..."_

_"Josh?"_

_"You'd think that after everything,_ everything _, I'd be ready. But-"_

_"It's fine. Proves you're still human."_

_"...I guess."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"Estevan...thank you. For everything."_

_"Ah, kid-"_

_"I wouldn't be half the person I am now if-"_

_"Josh. Stop."_

_"..."_

_"You don't have to say anything."_

* * *

Maroon eyes snapped opened, lungs expanding in an inhale of clean air. As they took in the clear blue sky above, those eyes reflected the sun like a pair of gleaming rubies.

Up above, the sky was clear and dotted with clouds. The air that washed over him was pleasantly warm. A summer's gale.

Estevan Martinez looked up at the sky and wondered what the hell was going on.

This was all wrong.

He wasn't sure why he thought this, he just did. He knew something of serious magnitude was wrong. And that he was also forgetting something terribly important.

"Hey…"

Oh yeah. Duh,  _him_.

That low voice reminded Estevan that he was not alone. That he hadn't been alone. Not for a long time. He turned his head, finding Joshua Martin laying beside him a few small feet away.

His younger brother's eyes, an honest brown of earth and nature, met his own. "S'up?"

Estevan felt a grin tug the corner of his lips. When was the last time he had smiled? "Nuthin'. You?"

A hint of a smile. "Nuthin'."

Estevan found himself chuckling. He felt laughter bubbling in his chest but kept it subdued to chuckling. He feared that he'd never stop his he let it lose. He then started to cough, a fist coming to hover before his mouth.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  _Ahem_. Just need a drink."

"Same here." Josh lightly cleared his own throat before issuing a small grunt of effort. Estevan looked to see the younger boy move to sit up, numbly looking down at his hands as they sat limply in his lap. Without looking at Estevan, he said. "We're not dead."

Joshua said this flatly, almost emotionally, but Estevan could see the sparks flying in his eyes. The confusion, the disbelief.

Estevan looking back to the sky, wondering when he had ever seen such a clear blue last. He couldn't remember. He did, however, remember how the sky was before everything had gone white: It had been midnight and the air had been smouldering and thick with soot and death.

It wasn't the only thing he remembered.

He remembered armies of flesh, scales and fur. Drooling fangs and heaving hate. He remembered electric-blue eyes turning golden. He remembered death. He remembered  _winning_.

And then, he woke up here.

"Maybe we are dead, and this is heaven?" Estevan suggested, half meaning it. He regretted it immediately, for Josh decided to test his suggestion by slamming his fist directly into his solar plexus. Wheezing, muttering curses as he writhed on the ground, Estevan turned a livid glower on his brother.

The little bastard stared back, unmoved, the mirth dancing in his eyes betraying the studious expression on his face. "I think we're quite alive."

"Yeah, noted," Estevan grunted.

And then a thought struck him and he flew to his feet, looking around wildly.

Josh was on his own not a moment later, alarmed. "Estevan, what-?"

"Where is he?!" Estevan snarled, voice guttural with rage. He was suddenly so angry with himself, remembering  _everything_.

As if he could, would, ever forget.

Josh went very still. He knew who Estevan was talking about. It was a moment before he next spoke. "He's dead."

Estevan remembered electric-blue eyes turning golden and whirled on Josh, barely containing himself. "How the f-?"

"He has to be." Josh's voice held no room for argument, was very quiet and very calm. The calmness in his eyes, in the face of Estevan's anger, made the older boy listen. "He was half dead when used that attack, most likely using what was left of his energy. He even seemed to be using his life force. Since he's not here, he has to be dead. Most likely torn apart."

Maroon clashed with brown, searching for a hint of doubt or lie. There was none.

Estevan dropped his eyes to the ground, mind reeling. "He's dead." And when the words should have inspired victory, of a terrible war finally won, it only left a numbness in Estevan's chest.

"Yes. Dead." And judging by the softness in voice, Joshua felt the same way.

Silence ruled for a long while.

In that silence, a cool air flowed over them and Estevan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the clean air. Filling his lungs, he released it in a deep breath.

Estevan allowed himself a moment to relax.

Then he opened his eyes and squawked: "What the hell is that?!"

Josh whirled to face what Estevan gawked at and became very, very still.

They were on a small upturn of land, the nearby tree offering protection from the sun if anybody wanted it. Flowers were dotted throughout the green grass, some small and pure, others large and colourful. It was the cleanest, greenest set of land Estevan had ever seen. But then there was the  _wall_. At least fifty meters tall, stark white, the construction looked as though they were built  _around_ something. Looking up at their peaks, Estevan saw cannons mounted on the top. Somebody lived behind those walls, he realized numbly.

So, really, the main question over all others was: Where the hell were they?

Josh stared at the towering structure, brushing himself free of imaginary dirt, and looked around. His voice was very calm when he said. "We're inside some kind of closed off land. The walls go for miles before curling."

Estevan saw that this was true. The wall extended far, normal eyes just being able to see how it curled in the distance. He and his brother, with their advanced eyesight, could clearly see the wall as it continued off into the distance. It was like some giant pen, a colossal cage.

Still sitting, swallowing his uneasy down deep, he sent the boy a look. "What are you thinking?"

Josh turned, briefly glanced at him, before pointing ahead. "I'm thinking we go over there and see who exactly these walls are holding."

Estevan finally got to his feet and followed his brother's stretched limb. He saw what looked to be a small town a few minutes away, tucked close near the wall. He noticed that there was some kind of entrance in the wall, a stone gate lifted by chains and embellished with the design of a woman within a crest. Some kind of Goddess, maybe?

Then, a thought struck him.

Turning, what he saw brought back memories of what must have been their entrance and landing to this place. Dug into the Earth where two grooves deep enough for two young men to lay in, stopping a little bit away and continued by squashed grass and flattened flowers. They had fallen, crashed and survived.

_"Story of our lives, right there."_ He thought wearily.

The lack of pain he felt told him that his body currently suffered from no serious wounds, no internal pains. No broken ribs or bones. Either his body had taken their landing better than he'd thought, or he had been out of it for a while and the Guyver had done its work.

Estevan then noticed that Joshua hadn't said anything. He was a quiet fellow, he knew, but not  _that_  quiet. Turning, he felt a stab of vexation hit him. Joshua was already making his way towards the town without a word. "Hey!" And Estevan ran to catch up.

To the normal eye, it would as though the young man had fazed into the air before what could only be described as a wave of wind shoot down after the Brit. Flowers were torn at their roots, the leaves in the tree rustled, and the ground was kicked up slightly when Estevan then appeared next to Josh. A clap of wind punctuated his movements. "Thanks for letting me know you were going!" He snapped irritably.

The younger of the two didn't slow down, or outright react, in the slightest. "You looked like you were enjoying the scenery."

_"Asshole."_ Estevan's thought petulantly. They continued in silence, but not before Joshua lightly suggested that they ought to refrain from using their Units.

Estevan agreed, silently realizing that he could no longer feel  _that_  power that had helped them in the final battle.

* * *

'Town', Estevan soon realized as he and Josh followed a dirt path that led to the wall, was too large a word to describe the settlements. It was more like a small village than anything else. On either side of the path towards the entrance, there were buildings that could have been wither resting places for travellers or bars. There were quite a few stands on display, mostly selling food. A few blocks off, there was what appeared to be a canal with two great boats stationed.

The people, he noticed, didn't seem too advanced technologically wise. No kid on phones (They were either with their parents or playing with their friends), no cars (People were using horses attached to wagons), no electrical devices of any kind (His hearing, augmented and enhanced by the Guyver, had never been so clear).

Things were steady not looking good.

Also, people were staring. "We're getting looks."

"Just act normal and keep walking. I want to see what's behind those walls." Estevan suspected that it was their clothing that was gaining attention and said so to Josh. "I highly doubt that. We look perfectly fine."

At seventeen years of age, British with a healthy complexion, Joshua looked quite striking in his one button black suit. Continuing the trend, he had black trousers on with a white, long sleeve shirt. And finally, to complete the formal picture, a bowtie was tied around the collar of his shirt.

Estevan, American of nineteen years of age with an equally well-kept complexion, cut a more casual picture with his clothing. He was dressed in a simple set of blue jeans with a black top, a grey fleece thrown over it. In the current weather, though, Estevan was steadily developing a hankering to depose of the latter piece of clothing.

The only thing that made their otherwise normal pictures unusual was the fact that they both looked like they had been put through a blender. Numerous rips and tears covered their clothes, dotted and splashed with dried blood. To the outsider, they both looked like they had been mauled by a set of dogs and somehow managed to survive without any noticeable wounds.

Estevan knew this would apply to him the most, what with the scars that ran down his face. He said, "We look like a pair of hobos who've been fighting for food."

Josh stopped and looked down at himself, at his stained white shirt, the frown that turned his lips accompanied by a sigh. "This was a good suit..." He muttered distantly. The single button that would have kept his suit together was long gone, leaving the dirty shirt underneath bare to all who cared to look.

"And these were good jeans," Estevan patted his legs once the dry statement was given. Unlike his brother, he had no pity for his clothing. When he saw that some people had stopped to stare at them as they stood halfway through the small settlement, he gave them a dark look that quickly had them going on their way. At least they weren't stupid and knew when to keep away. "So, what do we do?"

"We act normal." Tilting his head as he gave a sidelong glance, for Estevan had him beat on size by three whole inches, Josh's frown turned upside down slightly. But even a small smile, in Estevan's opinion, was a welcome change to Josh's stony face. "And I'll leave the rest to you, should anything happen."

Of course he would. The slave driver.

They carried on in peaceful silence, stopping once more just as they reached the entrance. The wall loomed over them and they craned their heads as they looked to the top of it. Joshua looked from side to side, eyes taking in every detail of the structure. His forehead creased with thought. "An impressive construction, considering."

"Considering what?"

"The people, the culture. In terms of technology, you can see it's rather basic, and yet they somehow were able to make a wall that spans miles."

"Doubt they did it in a night."

"Of course not. But..."

Josh had that look on his face. That look that meant he was thinking hard about something near intangible. "What?"

The Brit shook his head and the clouded look evaporated. "Nothing. Never mind." And, as Estevan should have expected, he carried on again without explaining. Shaking his head, he caught up with him.

And then Estevan saw the soldiers. A small group, no more than four, three of them sitting around a box as they laughed and chatted amongst each other. One though, a blonde man, had noticed them coming and was making his way to intercept them.

Estevan gave his 'here we go' groan.

Josh gave him his 'leave this to me' look in return.

They and the man came to a stop with a small space separating them. The solider was tall, well-built with short blond hair, a thin moustache, and golden hazel eyes. His uniform was unlike anything Estevan had ever seen before. It consisted of a short, light brown jacket, a light-coloured shirt, a dark brown sash around the waist covering the hips, white pants, and dark brown knee-high leather boots. On both the jacket's shoulders and on the front left pocket was a symbol, roses within a silver crest. A symbol of their unit maybe?

Estevan found himself brushing the small, black, circular tattoo on right palm with the tips of his fingers. He then curled his hand into a fist in preparation.

Though the man's smile was friendly, the American grimaced at the flush on his cheeks and alcohol on his breath. "Hey, kids!" He greeted, a little too loudly and friendly to be professional. "You lost or something?"

_"One hell of an understatement."_  Estevan thought, already annoyed. He also didn't appreciate being called kid. At all.

Josh gave the man a polite smile. "We're just looking around, sir. Taking in the view and all that."

The man's muggy gaze bounced between them, taking in their forms. He seemed to notice the state of their clothing. "Aw shit, did you guys get mugged?"

Estevan shared an incredulous look with Joshua, the wordless  _'How in the hell do we look like we've been mugged?!'_  going between them. Okay, so maybe his brother wouldn't have quite worded it like that, but it would have been pretty damn close!

Josh waved his hands with a sheepish smile. "Oh, no, no! We just ran into a spot of bother a little bit back, nothing at all to worry about!" He didn't sound too convincing to Estevan.

A 'spot of bother'? Give him a break. They had walked away from a war, a fact which had yet to really set in with Estevan. He was still processing their impossible survival, their victory.

The man mulled over their words before he just shrugged, hiccupping merrily. "If you say so." And then the blonde went off, swaying slightly as he did.

The duo watched him go, left silenced from the abruptness of it all.

"That was...easier than expected," Josh muttered, his surprise giving way to a pleased smile. "Makes a refreshing change of pace!"

"He was pissed," Estevan stated flatly.

"Yes, I noticed."

"He's doing his job  _brilliantly_ , that's for sure." The blonde had done nothing to improve Estevan's less than favourable view of military personnel. If that was the best this world had to offer, then any trouble that came their way would be a cakewalk. He glanced at Josh when he made no comment as they continued on their way forward. The soldiers didn't pay them a glance, too immersed in their drinking and—card game? What a pack of losers. "So...now what?"

"For now, let's look around. Perhaps we'll learn something." Joshua straightened his bowtie, smirking slightly. "Or I will, at any rate."

"Screw you, bro."

* * *

Joshua was trying hard to ignore the gut rot feelings that boiled in his stomach.

For two hours and a half hours they had wandered through this town, and they were finding themselves no closer to understanding where they were from when they had first arrived. They learned it was called Shiganshina, a small town with an easy enough layout. Nearly all the buildings, as far as they could see, were homes. Some were for businesses, but they were minor things. Carpenters, potters and bakers. The people, while regarding them both with a sense of suspicion that was only logical, were proving to be the run of the mill kind of people. Except Joshua couldn't tell what nations they belonged to, what people they were. They had no accents, no discernible differences in skin tones, and no cultural differences of the like.

That was strange and it concerned him.

The question of why those walls existed hung heavily in his mind like a thick, perilous fog. To try to answer the question would lead him astray, stumbling blindly between logic and half-formed assumptions. One such assumption was the frightening notion was that these people were trapped behind these walls. Cut off from the rest of the world and having no knowledge that yes, there were other people past the walls.

But then logic stepped in with questions to counter this notion. If that were true, then why was there a gate at the other end of the town? Josh and Estevan had gone there first, to see if there would be an exit, only to find it sealed.

Therefore, Joshua began to wonder if these walls were less for keeping people  _in_  and more for keeping something  _out_.

This concerned him more also, so much so that he reframed from stretching his senses to find out.

So after that, it was a matter of simply getting the layout of the town. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that they might be staying the night. It was late in the afternoon, almost early evening, and the world was stained with an amber light as the sun begun its descent. At least this planet held the basic similarities to their own. A small comfort.

That matter of food was taken care of by Estevan, who swiftly and quietly nicked a pair of apples for both of them. Though Josh disapproved of theft and begged Estevan to reconsider, he didn't raise much of an argument against him as he took his apple. Though not much, it would do for now. Their Guyvers would take care of the rest. As they walked along the bank of a canal, absent of any kind of boat, Josh quietly took bites of his apple as he pondered and enjoyed the warm air that came over them.

It had been a long time since he could enjoy such a luxury.

He pondered how they could possibly get home.

And he found himself incapable of finding an answer.

Joshua prided himself on his ability to be composed, no matter the situation. There were moments when he was shaken by some horrific discovery or sway in battle, but most of the time he was able to keep a tight lid on his emotions to focus solely on the situation at hand. Thank his parents, his British blood, whatever it was; experience had proven countless times that someone with a straight head in a situation would always be needed and useful.

Josh excelled in that, being reliable. Being cool under pressure.

At on the outside.

Inside, though, fear and anger curling in a dangerous mix that threatened the support pillars of his composure.

Fear of the unknown, the most common type of fear. Of this world, its people. Of the horrible possibility of not being able to return to their own world. That they may both be stuck here, without any hope of seeing their friends again.

And anger, an emotion he was so good at keeping at bay, at the whole situation. The unfairness of it all. That after everything,  _everything_  they had  _given_  towards the war and every  _loss_  they had  _suffered_ -

Joshua took a large bite out of his apple, so much so that his jaw stretched and half his apple was lost in a single chomp. He chewed slowly, focusing on the movement of his jaw muscles, the bits of apple grinding away between his teeth and the sweet tang of the fruit's juices. Estevan had chosen a red apple, he liked red apples. Better than green any day.

He focused on the apple and refused to acknowledge the turbulence in his chest. His face was so still, it could have been carved from stone. This was not the place to fall, to break. There was still a chance, however tiny, for them to get back home. And so long as that chance existed, there was still  _hope_.

And as long as he had hope, he would survive.

They would make it through this.

And then the world exploded.

Gold and neon green flashed in his eyes and the world shuddered and he stumbled, so taken off guard by the movement that he fell to his hands and knees, what was left of his apple falling out of his hand. Darn, he had been enjoying that. It was over as quickly as it has begun, but Josh's hearing could pick on the soundless murmurs of bafflement that rumbled through the entire town. Everyone had heard that. He heard Estevan say something but it sounded a million miles away. An odd ringing filled his ears and refused to go away. His arms and legs felt numb and rubbery, barely keeping him upright.

"Armin!"

The cry of a name pierced his ears, killed the ringing, and he looked up in time to see a youth of blonde hair disappear past a building. Then, coming out from a set of steps that seemed to lead down to the canal, a boy and girl quickly followed. Josh found himself following them, legs renewed with strength and working without any input from his mind, not bothering to look back to see if Estevan was following him. He knew he would.

He came upon them in a crowded street, three children among adults. Everyone in the area was looking towards something, their expressions all sharing looks of great shock and even greater horror. Josh took this all in as he approached, followed the gaze of the children once he stopped behind them-

And what he saw put ice in his veins and had his heart turning into a burning ball of lead. He turned as still as stone.

Beside him, equally still, Estevan spat an eloquent oath: "What the fuck?!"

A vast face was peaking over the top of the wall. Although it was human shaped, it was also eerily skinless, its scarlet muscles standing bare to the wind. This seemed to extend to its whole body, for its shoulder just peeked over the wall and a skinless hand was holding the wall for purchase. So much so that it had cracked it underhand. What appeared to be steam hissed from between lines of flesh and teeth, great plumes erupting from its shoulders to the point where it almost looked like a white cape fluttering in the wind. The muscles that would have been its lips were fixed into a frown that stood parallel to the tooth-filled smile its cheekless jaw made. Its sunken eyes, hidden beneath a heavy brow, stared down at the tiny insects and their nest below it.

Joshua stared at this monster, this real Kaiju, and felt nought but numbness. Distantly, he found this amusing. After everything he had seen, all the Zoanoids he had fought, the sight of this creature should have been less shocking to him than it ought to.

The boy who stood in the middle, a lad with brown hair who couldn't have been older than ten, spoke. Josh looked down as he did, hearing the horror in his young voice. A terror that a child his age should never know. "Oh God, it's  _them! It's a Titan!"_

Titan? A rather unimaginable name for a giant but that was the least important thing Josh picked up on. The boy had said 'them', implying that there were more than one of these creatures. Suddenly, it all made complete sense. He had been right. The wall wasn't for keeping people in, it was for keeping things  _out_. Keeping these Titans out.

So they had left a world with monsters secretly ruling from the shadows to a world where, apparently, giant monsters roamed behind walls?

_"Oh, this is_ so _not fair."_

The Titan dipped its head, body moving behind the wall. Almost lowering-

And then there was the sound of smashing stone, a mighty explosion of dust and Joshua threw his arms over his face as a mighty gale flowed over them like a wave of water. The shockwave of a powerful explosion. While other people fell to the ground or swayed like weak trees, he and Estevan remained standing still with only their clothing ruffling. Josh lowered his arms (mere instinct had caused them to be raised) to look unblinkingly against the rushing winds, hearing what almost sound like missiles screeching through the air and followed by the expectant explosion. He saw smaller clouds of dust being kicked up. Debris, he realized. Chunks of the wall being sent high into the air, only to come crashing back down. Once the wave passed, he looked back to the wall to see the tip of the Titan's head disappearing below it. It was—gone? Just like that?

The blonde boy before them had fallen to his knees, breathless with disbelieving horror. "I-it blasted a hole- Like it was kicking a  _rock_!"

And then people were screaming in the distance and those close to them now were breaking with terror before running. They called for others to run, hollering how 'they' had gotten in. Josh stretched his senses and focused beyond the panicking civilians. He heard it, the sounds of giant creatures moving. Many of them. More Titans, seemingly smaller ones, coming in through the hole the skinless one had made. Joshua wondered what kind of horrors these Titan had done to incite such fear into people. There was a clear history to all this madness.

The blonde boy was on his feet, body trembling with fear. "We have to go!" He said desperately to his friends and Josh found himself taking a step back as the boy almost walked into him. They seemed completely obvious to him and Estevan. "Eren!"

Josh saw the other boy, Eren, blindly walk forwards. "My house is in that direction," The fear in his voice was so palpable that the Brit could taste it. "Mom's all by  _herself_ -" And with a sharp sound of panic, the boy broke into a sprint. And then he was running, running towards his home and his mother with the girl following at his heels.

The little blonde boy had a hand outstretched before stopping. Josh watched him, transfixed, as he grasped his limb by the wrist and forced it down. Tremors wracked his small frame. "It's too late. It's over. Humanity-" Sucking in a massive breath, the boy cried in terror. "Humanity is going to be devoured by the Titans!"

_"Devoured?"_  Josh's mind filled with white noise.  _"These things-? They eat-?"_

And he was running too. The corridor was long, the lights were red and the alarm was shrill and blaring. Running, running, running. He couldn't hear anything, he couldn't feel anything. He had to find them, they had to get out, and there. He had found them. Lying there, in a pool of their own blood-

"JOSHUA!" And then he was face to face with Estevan, his brother's face twisted with anger as he held a handful of his suit in each hand. As usual, the scowl wrinkled the scars that marred the right side of his face. "What the hell do we do?!"

Josh blinked back to reality, back to the present. All around them people were screaming and panicking whilst monsters roamed about. A painfully familiar setting.

Right, time to get to work.

His eyes turned to steel and his mouth became a thin line. Pushing himself free, he walked past Estevan as spoke clearly among the screams. "Follow me."

And Joshua jumped up onto the roof of the closest house. Had anyone been watching with a clear head, they would have seen a seventeen-year-old effortlessly leap from the ground to the top of the building and see the act repeated by his brother. But no one did. They were blind with fear. Now running in earnest, against the flow of people, Josh soon realized that they lacked any true sense of direction.

What do they do?

He had no idea.

But then he heard a horrified cry ( _"MOM!"_ ) and found a perfect place to start. He led Estevan, leaping between each house with inhuman ease, before coming to a stop upon a roof a few blocks away. The sight that greeted them made them both still, filled with a horror greater than the Titan had produced.

Below them laid a flatten house, crushed by a large piece of debris in what looked to be a cruel joke by the world. It was the only one out of the  _whole street_  that had any damage. In the centre of that mess of wood and tiles were Eren and that girl, trying to help a woman out of the debris. She was trapped, that much was clear, pinned down under the weight of what had once been her home. It took little to no guess that she was their mother.

Down the road, making the tiles of the intact houses shudder with every footstep, was a Titan. Smaller than the one that had kicked in the wall, Josh calculated that it stood tall at fifteenth meters. It was a lanky thing with a thin, emaciated frame with stocky proportions. Its ribs were visible through the skin of its diaphragm and it possessed an unusually-long neck. It had medium-length, blond hair that only barely reached down to its neck and small, blue eyes. And it had the most disturbing smile Josh had ever seen smeared over its face. At a leisurely pace, it walked towards the family.

The twitch Josh gave when Estevan spoke was a testament to how long he stared at the humanoid horror. "We need to help them." And while Joshua had every intention of doing that himself, of putting a stop to the shouts of the mother and son before them, something caught his eye and he threw an arm in front of his brother to stop him moving.

To his miffed, almost disgusted questioning, Josh nodded his head in inclination. "Look over there."

It was that soldier from the gate, the blonde, coming upon the threatened family. He had a peculiar device on him, a thing that had the Brit narrowing his eyes in wonder. The body of the device was strapped to the lumbar area of his back, with what appeared to be boxes at the sides of their thighs. In those each of those boxes where what looked like blades, six in both. Twelve in total. It had some other function that brought the man here, he knew, for there was no way he could have gotten here so quickly but he couldn't fathom what it was or how it worked. It had something to do, he guessed, with the handle like objects that were in his hands before he pocketed them into his jacket's inner pockets.

Joshua watched. The man was all smiles and charms, any earlier intoxication gone. He seemed fully able to kill the Titan. Josh watched as he confidently charged towards the Titan before stopping dead in his tracks, becoming a statue before the monster with his mouth hanging open. For a fleeting moment, the Brit thought he would snap out of his daze and attack. The thought died instantly when the man sheathed his blade and ran back to the kids, taking them and leaving the woman behind.

Estevan hissed like a furious snake, hands clenched and shaking at his sides. The air around him buzzed with energy. "That f-fucking  _coward!_ "

Josh said nothing, watching as the Titan stomped towards the crushed home and the trapped mother. He said nothing because he knew that Estevan would merely reply with an angry outburst. He said nothing because he found himself lacking words, a cold yawning space growing in his chest. He wanted to hate the man. Part of him did. And he was very quick to scold himself for feeling such emotions.

The man was only human.

The Titan found it's downed pray, taking her in its hand. The woman was beating the hands. Though fruitless, and though most likely brought on through fear, Josh respected her fighting. The Titan's desire was obvious. The blonde child's words were proven true.

This monster was going to eat her.

Joshua Martin decided that he and his brother had stood by long enough. "Let's go."

And then they jumped forward, bellowing as one:

" ** _GUYVER!_** "

Blue and red painted the land.

* * *

This was the worst day of his life.

There was no doubt about this. None at all.

Only a searing certainty that made Eren Yeager feel like his heart was about to burn out of his chest.

That, and the horrible idea that this was all his fault.

It had been his dream, after all, to go past the Walls. To see the outside world, to not live the rest of his life trapped behind those structures that served more like pens and had turned humanity into cattle.

He just wanted to be  _free_.

And now, all he had ever known was a pile of rubble lying atop his mother.

Eren could only stare in horror, thrown over Hannes' shoulder, his whole body numb and without sensation. The world seemed to blur out of existence, into a dark mess of colours that merged with smoke that billowed into the evening sky. He watched as his mother struggled uselessly against the Titan, its smile burned into his retinas, unable to escape her fast approaching fate.

Words were beyond him, escaped him, and all he wanted to do was scream and rage against this one death among all the countless others happening at the same moment throughout his hometown.

That was his mother.

She was the last person who deserved to die.

He still hasn't  _apologized_  to her.

And yet, as he and Mikasa watched and Hannes continued to run without so much as a glance back, he knew that there was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone could do. There was no hope, he saw, no chance of averting this fate. No one was going to save his mother.

And it was in this one terrible moment, the moments before his childhood broke apart before his eyes, that he realized the sad truth that he had believed all his life but now knew it for certain: Humanity was a spineless race that had lost the  _will_  to survive.

A hundred years behind the Walls had made them fat and stupid, unequipped to deal with the horrors they told themselves were no longer an issue. And now his home had fallen and the rest of humanity would follow.

This was it, he saw.

The beginning of the end.

What was the point of living then, the boy questioned. What was the point of training and fighting, of all those hopes and dreams he and Armin had if their fate was to become mere food for the Titans?

What was the  _point_  of anything in this cruel world?

" ** _GUYVER!_** "

He was then blinded by flashes of blue and red so great that it forced Eren to close his eyes, crying out at the suddenness of it all. His ears registered the sounds of blades cutting through flesh and something large and heavy crashing. He opened his eyes and where there Titan had stood was now replaced by a cloud of dust.

And then Eren was staring down the end of the road. Hannes had turned to see what happened himself.

It took Eren's mind a moment to register that they had stopped. That he could get out of the hold. That he could  _get to his mother and see if she was alright_.

He acted instantly. Turning his body in Hannes' hold, he drove his knee into the man's head. The blonde cried out, his grip slacking and Eren quickly jumped out of it and onto the ground. He was running in a heartbeat, towards the dust cloud, towards his mother. Mikasa and Hannes cried out his name but he ignored them. They didn't matter. The Titan didn't matter.  _Nothing_  mattered.

Only getting to his mother did.

"MOM!" He yelled as he ran into the cloud, his eyes watering. Because of the dust, he thought. Not because he was afraid. Not because guilt was so sharp in his heart that he felt like he would bleed to death. He looked around, trying to find familiar shapes before something dropped in front of him. Something large and heavy that blew away the dust around them. With a cry of shock, he fell onto his butt, staring wide eye at the thing before him.

'Thing' was an adequate name for what stood before Eren Yeager. It looked human, but at the same time was completely non-human.

Standing roughly the size of a full grown adult, the being was clad in deep blue armour from head to toe, armour that the boy had never seen before. It was smooth and metallic but didn't seem to be made of any metal that the boy was familiar with. In-between certain segments were what almost looked like flesh, white as virgin snow. On the top of the armoured hip was a metal orb and sprouting out of the being's left elbow was a glow curved blade, evaporating Titan blood rising off it.

The head was the most inhumane part of the being. Completely encased in armour, the head had a horn that sprouted from the front of the crown and then curved back in a half arch shape. A metal orb, like the one on the hip but slightly bigger, rested in the being's forehead; its outer rim glowing for a second before fading. Above that rested a tiny black orb. Where a mouth would usually be was two even smaller metal orbs, one on top of the other, that stood in-between two peculiar shapes that spat out steam.

Crimson eyes, in the shapes of scalene triangles, stared unblinkingly into Eren's forest green eyes. They glowed like lanterns, looking right into him, past his fleshy body and into the very depths of his being. It was those eyes that kept him on the ground, body locked in-

What?

Eren didn't know what to feel. His overwhelming fear for his mother found itself being met by a swell of what could have been either awe or fear of the creature that towered over him.

For many heartbeats, nothing happened. Time had ground to a halt, with only the creature's blade smoothly retracting into its elbow until no trace of it was left. In those beats, Eren wondered if this creature was going to kill him.

Then the creature moved forward and Eren flinched and closed his eyes whilst turning his head away, sending one last apology to his mother that he knew she was  _never_  going to hear-

"Are you alright?"

Eyes snapping open, Eren slowly turned his head. Stretched before him was a blue armoured left hand, palm turned upwards and flesh white. Attached to that hand was an arm that led up the creature, bent over slightly as it offered its hand towards Eren. It had spoken. It had spoken, clearly and coherently in his language. The voice was male, that of a young man. There was an odd echo quality to it, almost as though it came from the bottom of a deep well.

Eren stared incomprehensibly at the creature before, his mouth empty of words. The armoured being then flexed its (his?) hand, waiting. The subtle movement caught his attention and, after a brief bout of hesitation, he reached out and took the hand. The flesh of the palm was warm, the texture rough and leathery, and the metal was pleasantly warm too. The fingers coiled over his small hand and he was pulled to feet, the being stepping back to give him some room. The eyes never left him.

Again, the being asked. "Are you okay?"

This time, Eren had words to speak. Hesitantly, under the unblinking stare, his voice came as a nervous squeak. "Y-yes."

"Good." The being sounded pleased, relieved even. The armoured shoulders lowered a touch.

Footsteps came from the right and Eren turned to look past the tall being. What met his eyes made him gasp in awe.

Steeping toward them was another metal clad being. Visually, it was exactly the same as the blue one. Same height, same metal orbs, same layout of armour. For all Eren knew, the creatures were twins. The only discernible difference between the two were their colours. The newcomer's armour was red as blood, the flesh between the segments black as pitch, and the tiny orb above the metal orb in the forehead was green.

And in his metal arms was his mother. She was limp in them, a puppet with its strings cut. Awe turned into horror that turned into despair.

"Oh God," Moaned the boy, tears filling his eyes as he staggered towards the red being. A sudden emptiness took the place where his heart should have been. He reached out, taking his mother's hand in his own. It was cold and clammy. He pressed it against his face, wishing to warm it. "Mom-"

"She's fine." Eren flinched, eyes snapping upwards to the red being's face, meeting the same unblinking gaze like its companion. The voice was also human, another male, though one of a slightly older individual. Slightly deeper than the blue and white one. It had the same distortion in the voice. "She's just passed out. The situation probably got to her."

"That or your face frightened her, brother." The blue one said lightly, the thoughtful words laced with mirth.

The red one turned his fathomless eyes to the other. Sounding miffed, he snapped. "You're hardly a supermodel yourself, brother!"

Brothers. Eren looked between the two, fascinated. Were they family?

It occurred then to Eren that he was less afraid than he was interested. He felt calm, even, admits the chaos that surrounded him. As though these two were the eye of a terrible storm. Not once did it enter his mind to label the two as Titans. It would have been clear to anyone with eyes that these creatures didn't resemble a Titan in any way. And while yes, they certainly didn't look human, they were at least human-sized.

Not humans, but certainly not Titans.

Something wholly different. Something completely unknown.

That unknown would have, and perhaps should of, made Eren's mind jump to horrific conclusions and accusations but none were forthcoming. Eren didn't feel any fear of these unknown creatures, he was purely  _awed_  by their appearances and power.

And more than that, they had  _saved his mother_.

Could he say that about any Titan? Any  _person_?

A young cry split through his musing, "Eren!", and he turned to see Mikasa running through the dust. Of course, he thought, finding his lips twitching with the odd urge to smile. Of course she would fly to his aid, no matter what. He watched her come to a stop before the blue and white being, saw her usual lax expression colour with surprise and perhaps a twinge of fear as she stared up at him, and then see her eyes fall to him. They looked past him and Eren saw her face go paler than usual.

"MOM!" Now  _that_  was interesting. Mikasa seldom called his mother by the same title, for some reason she had never told him. She dashed towards him, past the blue brother, and Eren had enough sense in the current madness to quickly stop Mikasa from doing something stupid.

"Mikasa, stop!" He got into her line of charge, hands thrust outwards and hitting her chest. The force almost sent him toppling over. Damn, she was strong! When Mikasa stared at him with wide, open eyes, he said. "It's alright, really! We're not in danger!"

"But-" Mikasa looked between the brothers, clearly unnerved. It was weird, Eren thought, to see her so jumpy. So uncertain. Usually, she was in complete control of herself, almost aggravatingly so. Given the situation, though, he guessed he couldn't really blame her. "I mean- They're-"

"They saved her!" He said loudly, trying to get the point across before she made any of her own conclusions. Mikasa could be remarkably thick sometimes. He looked back at the red brother, disregarding her wide eyes of disbelief, a slight smile coming to his lips. "They saved Mom."

"Eren! Mikasa! What-  _What the hell?!_ "

There was a hiss of metal and the two children looked back to see Hannes wielding two blades, held protectively before him. His face was curled in a look of terror that Eren had never seen on the blonde's face before.

_"This,"_  Eren thought grimly,  _"Won't end well."_

* * *

"W-wha- What in the hell are you two?!"

Hannes could barely get the words past his lips, his tongue fat, heavy and useless inside his mouth. His mind felt sharp and alert, so much so that he was painfully aware of the tremors running through his body.

Before him stood two monsters, unlike anything he had ever see before. They stood roughly six feet tall, were armoured from head to toe with horns sprouting from their heads. They were armour and flesh, compiled in a way that left Hannes baffled. They looked identical, save for their colours. One was red as blood, the other a dark shade of blue. Their crimson eyes were like lanterns, one of the few details they shared, looking into the deepest parts of his soul.

They were neither human or Titan. An unknown factor. They looked powerful and dangerous and that was more than enough for Hannes to consider them enemies.

And yet, neither of the armoured beings made any move to attack him.

The blue one rose a hand in a pacifying gesture. The palm of the hands and fingers were white, leading into metal armour that seemed fused to the backs of them. To Hannes' shock, it spoke in the voice of a young man. "Don't be afraid. We are here to help."

"Who are you?!" Barked Hannes, not even sure why he said the words at all.

"That's not important right now." The blue one said, avoiding the question. There was an odd, inhuman quality to the voice that put Hannes' teeth on edge. "The city is under attack and people are in danger. This woman needs urgent medical attention."

_"Carla."_ Guilt stabbed itself into the blonde's heart as he turned to look at the mother in the red one arms, twisting as the full meaning of what he had done came crashing onto him. She had wanted him to run, he knew, but he had refused. He refused to let her die such a lonely death, to accept defeat so easily. He had wanted to finally pay off the debt he owed Grisha, saving his wife as the doctor had his own all those years ago.

But it was all for nought.

He had the perfect moment and squandered it, his fears rising to destroy his confidence. He looked down to Eren and Mikasa before quickly looking back to the blue being before him. It was easier to look into those emotionless red eyes as opposed to those of the children. He knew that they would never forgive him but that was alright. He was a coward and a pathetic human being.

Even when he had the power to, he had left her to die. They both had all the reason to resent him.

What kind of a soldier was he if he couldn't even save one mere life?

The movement of something large could be seen from within the dust cloud. It caught his attention and Hannes staggered back with a gasp, his fears multiplying. "Oh hell..."

Both the beings turned sharply, seeing what Hannes saw. Dragging itself along the ground with its large hands, digging its fingers into the dirt to hoist itself forward, was the Titan that Hannes had failed to kill earlier. Its face, that disgusting smile, hadn't shifted an iota. The creatures leapt back in a surprising show of movement, Carla safe in the red one's arms. Mikasa grabbed Eren by the arm and quickly pulled him to their side.

They all stood together. The soldier, the children and the strangers. They watched as the Titan pulled itself forward, no doubt fuelled by its unwavering desire to devour them. Hannes found himself looking into its blue eyes, dull and without life. He wondered what, if any, intelligence stirred behind them.

"Son of a bitch..." The crimson warrior's utterance made Hannes jump, returning to the present. He looked at the human-sized creature in surprise. It spoke also, only in the deeper voice of an older male. Still remarkably young though, he noted.

"It's regenerating its limbs." Said the blue one, sound truly shocked. "It's regrown them like a lizard would its tail." It was then that Hannes noticed that there was steam rising from the arms. A sign, he knew from stories his mates had told him, of Titan regeneration. He looked between the two again, at the still form of Carla, before looking back to the Titan blankly. Just what had the two done to sever its limbs?

It seemed to have lost its legs too, Hannes noted, seeing the steam pour from the bottom of its thin torso. Only its hands had regenerated. In its current state, a rather pathetic one at that, it was an easy target. But Hannes couldn't find the strength to go near the monster. Just looking at it was a challenge. When it snapped its jaws like an irritated dog, emotions that were eerily absent from the eyes, he wasn't the only one to step back.

He flinched when the blue one turned sharply to face him, its eyes cutting. "What are their weaknesses?"

Hannes replied blankly. "What?"

"These creatures! Their weaknesses!" Snapped the blue being, sounding peeved and desperate. There was a struggling calm in the young, distorted voice.

The red one spoke up, speaking to Hannes as though he were a slow child. "Do the  _Titans_  have any  _weakness_  that we can  _exploit_?"

Shock numbed Hannes' mind of the fear that was only mere meters away. They didn't know, he realized blankly. They didn't know how to kill Titans. If Hannes didn't know any better, he'd say that they didn't know what Titans were in general. They didn't know the greatest scourge that humanity had ever know.  _"What are you?"_ Ran fleetingly through his mind before he mechanically gave the answer. "The nape, on the back of the neck. That's their only weakness. Cut that and they'll die instantly."

"The nape." The blue one looked back to the Titan. "The nape." The blue stranger repeated in a thoughtful murmur, reaching back to tap its own nape. "Okay then." He then moved past him, ignored the Titan, crouching down before the children. Hannes noticed Eren put an arm before Mikasa and he would have smiled at the small but subtle gesture of protectiveness. In a voice was soft and cordially, the being asked Eren. "What's your name, kid?"

Hannes blinked at the random question, so out of place in the situation, but kept his tongue firmly behind his teeth. He watched Eren blink, clearly surprised by the unexpected request for information too, and then saw him round up some courage to answer. Hannes couldn't miss how he straightened his body, speaking towards the individual with a  _respect_  that he never showed him or his comrades. "My name is Eren, Eren Yeager."

"Nice to met you, Eren." The creature said with an impossible brightness. Pointing at itself and then to its companion, it introduced itself. "My name is Yin, and that's my brother, Yang. I know you must be worried sick about your mother, about everything that's happening in general, but don't be. Me and my brother are going to help her as soon as we can. Before that, though, I need you and your friend to be brave and  _trust us_. Trust us and I promise, we'll get you to safety." There was such sincerity in the being's promise that it left Hannes stunned.

What stunned him, even more, was how, after sharing a look with Mikasa, the boy nodded. Eren had always lacked the gleam of fear in his eyes that most children his age had before the face of terror, Hannes knew from past experiences, but he looked at the armoured creature with something near reverence. He jumped when Yin then reached forward to take hold of the two children, hooking its (his?) arms around their waists. Just like he had been holding Mikasa mere moments ago. Said girl, he noted, looked slightly uncomfortable.

Hannes twitched in surprise when the red one, Yang, spoke up. He had said very little in comparison to his brother. "Is there somewhere we can take them? A shelter or bunker, that kind of thing?  _Please_  tell me that you people at least  _considered_  that this sort of thing would happen one day and made countermeasures." The words would have been a plea were it not for the exasperation that dripped from them.

"Hang on a second! You're not going to kill the Titan?"

"Saving this lot is more important at the moment," Yang said, his steely voice telling Hannes that there would be no discussion on the matter. He turned his head to quickly look at the aforementioned monster. Hannes did so too, grimacing as he saw that the Titan was pushing itself upwards as if doing push-ups. Judging from the stream rising behind it, the legs were nearing full regeneration. Its empty eyes were locked on them all, the shadow that fell across its face doing nothing to diminish that horrid smile. "Unless, of course, you want to have another go at it?"

Hannes looked back to the red and black being, completely dismissing the nearby Titan. There was ice in his stomach. "You saw that?"

"We saw all of it," Yang answered coldly and for a heartbeat, those red eyes of his seemed to flare. Hannes took a step back, suddenly worried for his own life.

"That doesn't matter," Yin interjected firmly, giving his brother a look. Something must have passed through their gaze because Yang did and said nothing. Yin looked at Hannes. "Please, there has to be somewhere we can take them. Somewhere we can help their mother without distraction."

Hannes stared, knowing it would be a losing battle to try and find any kind of deceit. He considered his options. To allow these strange beings to take the family to whom he had known most of his life away. Or to deny them and try,  _try_  and find some form of redemption. But as he stared into those pitiless eyes, like pools of blood, he knew that there really was no choice. He would never stand a chance. Heaving a defeated sigh, he said with an inclination of his head. "Go past the Wall, in that direction. You'll find boats on the other side. They'll take the civilians to the entrance of Wall Rose."

Yin nodded, looking down at the children in his arms and inquiring softly. "Are both ready?" Eren and Mikasa nodded. "Alright then, hang on!" And with that, the creature jumped. He heard Eren (and possibly Mikasa) cry out in shock as, in a single bound, the blue and white being leapt to the nearest house and jumped away into the distance. Hannes watched him go, jaw hanging open at the inhuman show of agility and speed. He and those belonging to the military had been trained with how to use ODM Gear to make great leaps from building to building, but with the use of cables and gas canisters. The being had no such equipment and yet did it effortlessly.

Aware of eyes burning into the back of his head, Hannes turned to face Yang. The red and black being was regarding with some kind of silent judgement. Then, icily, he said. "You could have saved them."

"I know, I-" Words were leaving Hannes' mouth before he could stop them, but Yang interrupted.

"You could have, but instead you choose to run. You left her to die."

"I know!" Hannes barked, his golden eyes glaring into the red eyes of the creature. His pent-up anger and guilt flowed and poured from his mouth like liquid fire. "I know, alright, I'm pathetic! I had a chance to fight, but I didn't!  _I ran away!_  Because-!" He choked briefly but carried on, tears of shame rolling down his cheeks, "Because I wasn't brave enough! Their mother was going to die because I was a damn coward! You're  _RIGHT!"_  The last part of his confession was a sorrow filled roar.

The red warrior reeled back, his face unchanging yet his body language readable. His tense muscles relaxed, body going lax for a few heartbeats. Almost as if taken off guard. Then they tensed and Yang turned and Hannes remembered the Titan. Kneeling now, legs fully reformed, the smiling monster was stretching a hand towards Yang and Carla.  _"Am I so pathetic that I'm not worth going after?"_ Hannes thought.

The air shimmered and waved and Hannes watched as the thin arm disintegrated into a cloud of particles at the shoulder. The Titan didn't make a sound, merely looking at the space that had been its arm. Hannes snapped his head to look at Yang, just in time to see the two orbs on the crimson being's mouthpiece faded with used power. Utterly awestruck, Hannes was awakened out of his stupor by Yang's harsh bark. "Go! Get out of here, you coward!" And with that order, the being leapt away to follow his brother.

Hannes watched him go, looked back to see the Titan's arm already regenerating, and quickly shot out his cables to the nearest building to get away. Not once did he look back at the Titan, the air rushing over him making him aware of the cold lines running down from his eyes and the burning in his heart.  _"I am a coward."_

Hannes retreated, wondering if he would ever be able to look any of the Yeager family in the eye again.

* * *

Air washing over him, to the point where it almost hurt to have his eyes open, Eren's willpower was put into overdrive in the tasks to both not lose the contents of his stomach or bladder and to not to make unflattering sounds as he and Mikasa were carried over the roofs of houses. The initial jump had startled him, drawing out a cry, and he was determined not to let fly another.

He had gritted his teeth when they quickly approached the edge of the first house and any fear was quickly replaced by awe when they literally sailed over the space between the house they were one and the one Yin landed on after. They travelled that way, leaping from housetop to housetop, heading in the direction Hannes had pointed out for them. Glancing behind him, he saw that Yang was having no trouble keeping up with them, only a few steps behind them. His mother was silent in his crimson arms.

_"Mom..."_ The worry that clenched Eren's heart dropped with the aforementioned organ into his stomach when they made another jump. He suddenly wondered if this was how those of the Survey Corps felt when they used their ODM Gear. If so, at least he now had an idea as to what to expect.

Turning to face forward, fear stabbed itself between his ribs when he saw a Titan two blocks away. The warrior wasn't slowing down. He wasn't changing course. And it was only when they were a house away that the blade of fear twisted itself. Eren's small hands grabbed the metal arm around his waist, trying desperately to get Yin's attention. "H-hey!" He called out, figuring that words would reach farther than physical actions. Armour didn't feel, after all. "There's a-!"

"I know." Was the calm yet undeterred reply.

The Titan was in a sitting position, its head rising to look at them as they approached. Its lips and teeth were caked in wet red. As disgust and hate filtered in with the fear and etched itself deeply onto Eren's face, Yin sped up subtly. Over the wind roaring in his ears, Eren was certain he heard the blue warrior mutter: "Wretched abomination!" And then, as they neared the edge of the roof and the Titan's hands rose with the intent to grab them, Yin jumped and threw his legs up. The soles of his oddly shaped, armoured feet connected directly to the monster's forehead and the Titan  _fell back_. Eren had a front row seat, watching in awe as the Titan fell into its back and its skull issued a loud  _crack_. So close was he, as Yin bent his knees, that Eren could see the roots of the Titan's mop of brown hair.

And then, in a single bound, they were away and onto another home. "Show off!" Looking behind, Eren saw Yang was still behind by a good distance but now on the same rooftop.

Without stopping or turning back, Yin yelled back. "It was right in front of me! What was I to do?"

They continued on, over houses that were either broken in by Titans that had moved on or burning from fires. Perhaps the shock waves had knocked stoves over, who could say? Below them, Eren briefly saw the surviving people either running and screaming in terror or remaining where they were and refusing to move. Fear had rendered them immobile. Eren watched it all in horror before he closed his eyes and turned away, unable to take any more. A part of him wanted to make the brothers save them but a larger part of him suppressed it. It was selfish and cold-hearted, he knew, but he didn't want to share the help the duo had so willingly offered him and his family. He just wanted to live past today.

He just wanted to see Mom smile again.

The Wall was looming closer and closer, the means for survival only a few short minutes away. Eren saw the crest of the gate, getting closer by the second. Eren wondered how the other members of the Garrison would react to the beings who had saved him and then his mind grimly questioned if any of them were still alive. Hannes and his friends never inspired much confidence in Eren.

When they reached the main road that led straight to the gate, Yin came to an abrupt halt. Looking behind at the approaching footsteps, Eren saw Yang come to a stop behind his brother. Mom was so close that Eren wanted to reach out and touch her. "What's wrong?" Yang asked, not sounding at all out of breath. As if they hadn't just trekked most of the town in under a handful of minutes.

"They've lined the entrance with cannons," Yin replied, dipping his head as a substitution for pointing. His hands were full, after all. Eren peered down the street and saw that yes, the Garrison had set up cannons. Eren wondered what effect, if any, they would have on the Titans.

"So?" There was a flare of impatience in Yang's voice.

"So," Came Yin's patient response. "I'd think it best that we  _don't_  give the men with the cannons something new to shoot at. Especially not when we're carrying civilians." Yin looked up at the top of the Wall that separated Shiganshina from the rest of Wall Maria's land. After a few heartbeats, he said. "Follow me."

He jumped to the house that stood opposite them, leaping over the space between them in a single bound. Yang followed. They moved a few blocks away from the road that led to the gate before turning right and heading back towards the Wall. Eren understood, then, the blue and white being's plan. Still heading in the same direction, just away from anyone who could potentially harm them.

The only question was how they were going to get past the Wall.

"Are you two afraid of heights?" Yin asked as they approached the Wall. Only two rows of houses separated them.

It was such a random question, so completely out of the blue in their current situation, that Eren took a moment to fully understand it. He shook his head in answer, seeing Mikasa do the same.

"Then get ready," Yin said as they crossed over the last house in their path. Once they reached the edge, he leapt off—

And then they were  _flying_.

They were soaring upwards, the air washing over them, heading towards the top of the wall without any sign of slowing down. Eren cried out in shock, gripping the arm that held him with newfound urgency, staring down at the increasingly shrinking ground and was quite certain Mikasa did the same thing. Idly, he noted that the orb in Yin's abdomen was glowing.

As wind washed over him like waves of water, making his eyes shut and his hair waver upon his head, Eren recalled one of his many discussion with Armin: Flight is a scientific impossibility. At least, that was what most people said on the matter. They said that flying was only for the birds, the only creatures on record that could fly, and that man was never meant to be off the ground. Other, though, would say that humanity forgot how to fly due to years of being subjugated by the Titans. Eren agreed with the latter theory, mainly due to how appealing the idea of people flying was.

It was another reason he wanted to join the Survey Corps.

To become part of the Wings of Freedom.

The roaring stopped as quickly as it started and Eren opened his eyes to gasp at the sight before him.

They were on top of the Wall, overlooking the lands of Wall Maria that stretched out before them. Lush green forests covered hills that stretched as far as the eyes could see, Wall Rose a white blur in the distance. Below was the area where he and Mikasa had collected firewood from mere hours earlier, the small cluster of buildings scattered about, and a fresh green land where he, Mikasa and Armin would spend hours playing in. The trees swayed gracefully in the wind, untouched by man and his foolish tampering with nature and the lake gleamed with a pinkish light as it reflected the early evening sky.

Unable to tear his eyes away, he unconsciously tugged at the arm around his waist and was lowered wordlessly to the Wall's surface. Slipping out of the hold, he stepped forward to the Wall's edge. "Careful." Someone said gently but Eren couldn't have cared less to find out who said it. He stopped at the edge and stared, feeling Mikasa come to a stop behind him.

Eren had never seen the world he knew from such a height before. It left him breathless, in awe of how different everything looked from his perspective. It all looked so small and insignificant, like those toy houses Dad said kids in Wall Sina owned. The sheer scope of it all dwarfed anything Eren had ever known before.

And the sheer tranquillity of it all made the hell behind them seem like a horrible dream. But Eren knew he was no dreamer. He could never, in a million years, imagine such creatures like the brothers.

Footsteps behind him, then: "The world is a beautiful place, and worth fighting for." Yin's voice had a philosophical air to it and Eren turned to see the blue armoured being also staring out at the lands before them. The comment made Eren smile for some strange reason. Perhaps in the fact that this creature, one of two beings who had so far proven to be greater than anything human Eren had ever known, could appreciate the beauty of what laid before them.

Still smiling, the boy looked back out and nodded to himself. It was beautiful.

Another set of footsteps and, turning to face him, Eren watched as Yang intoned. "I only agree with the second part."

Yin made a soft sound of amusement as if he had been told some private joke. He then turned to face his brother, looking primary at Mother. "How is she?"

"She's in bad form." The words were daggers to Eren's heart. "We can't put this off much longer, bro. we need to work on her now."

"Mom..." Eren felt his eyes burn as he looked at her, his mother's pale face. He looked at her legs, disgust coiling thickly in his stomach at the blood that stained her red skirt with dark patches. To his mounting horror, he saw the blood dripping off her boots.

"Hey, hey." A warm hand fell on his shoulder and Eren flinched, turning to meet the fathomless red eyes of Yin. His voice was soft and gentle. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

Promises. Eren held those in high regard. He had made a promise to himself to get past the Walls, he had made a promise with Armin to see the sea. He held the promise his father had made with him today, that he'd see the contents of their family basement.

The last one, he reflected sadly, may never be met now.

Fear began to reignite in him, clogging his lungs. A natural response that he hated and wished would stop. Everything he had ever known was falling apart and he was powerless to stop it. He took a breath, trying to drown out the fear with reassurance. The words from Yin, one of the two who had saved him, promising that everything would be alright. That they would save his mother. He wasn't sure how the blue and white warrior would do it, part of him even wondered if they were words said merely to comfort him, but for now, they were all he had to keep himself together. He nodded quietly.

Yin gave his shoulder a small squeeze before straightening and walked forward, near the edge of the Wall, pointing at something within the distance. "Those must be the boats that man was talking about." Eren followed his extended finger and looked downwards. There, in the cannel below, the two boats designed for emergency evacuations rested. Even from the distance between them, Eren could easily see that they were almost fully loaded. The rest of the town, perhaps most of Shiganshina's residents, was pressed into a duo of large crowds who were being held back by soldiers. The civilians were pushing forward like a wave of panicking flesh, their movements making a ripple effect as they tried to achieve salvation, every last one of them desperate to escape death at the hands of a Titan.

Suddenly, hitting Eren like a brick, the boy wondered if Armin was in that crowd.

"Two boats for an entire town?  _Really?_ " Yang questioned, his voice stained with disgust. He shook his horned, armoured head. "I don't believe this. These fools haven't planned ahead at all. They're going to leave all those people behind!"

"Not if  _we_  have anything to say about it." Yin turned and walked until he could see the town over the other edge of the Wall. Smoke climbed up into the sky in wispy trails. "This is getting more abysmal by the second." Eren heard him mutter grimly, before turning back and taking him and Mikasa into his arms. "Let's go, we're wasting time."

The warrior then stepped forward towards the edge of the Wall—and walked off it. Eren grunted at the feeling of them abruptly stopping after dropping about two feet down. The metal orb in Yin's waist was glowing. For what must have been the third or fourth time that day, Eren found himself awestruck. They weren't flying this time, but instead were floating. In mid-air, the ground a good 50 meters below them. Looking to his right, the boy saw Yang floating as well.

The two glided downwards gently, a smooth descent towards the boats. The air was soft as it flowed over them, the boats growing closer with each passing second. They moved silently and Eren quickly realized that the world had quieted as well. He looked down at the crowd below. With fascination in his green eyes, he watched as the panic died down and the crowd become still. People stopped pushing against people and stop crying out for their lives, all eyes watching them as they made their way. The armoured warriors didn't seem to notice.

Silence overthrew the panicked and desperate shouting, reigning supreme in the dying day.

Then, shattering it, a voice called out. "Eren!"

The boy's heart leapt at the cry, recognition flooding his mind. His eyes flying, scanning the sea of faces until he found the owner of the voice. His eyes locked with the wide blue ones of his best friend on the first boat. "Armin!" Eren's face cracked a large, relieved smile.

Without being prompt, Yin glided towards the boat. Yang followed. Eren noticed, as they approached, that the people were making a wide berth as they came into landing. Their expressions suggested fear and downright terror as they watched the two come to stand on the boat. Armin's Grandfather had his hands on Armin's shoulders, looking paler and older than he had ever seemed before.

But Eren didn't care about any of that. These people and their fears meant nothing to him as he wiggled himself out of Yin's arm and charged at Armin, catching the blonde in a tight embrace. He felt his friend freeze for a moment before his arms curled around him. Not a moment later, Mikasa was wrapping her arms around both of them and Eren could feel her shake slightly.

Right there, right then, it was just the three of them. Three friends, the best of friends, together. Their happiness defiant in the face of chaos.

Then Armin's Grandfather had to spoil it by talking. "Eren, Mikasa! What is this? What's going on?! What're- Oh God,  _Carla!_ " His voice went from loud baffled panic to a taut anguish breath. It brought Eren away from his friend's relative, turning to see Yang gentle lay Mom onto the floor. It was the hammer that shattered the silence that sat upon them all. Eren heard the whispers start, ranging from blind fear to accusations, gradually begin to grow in volume. He watched as Yang gently brushed the loose strands of hair that stuck to Mom's sweat laced forehead.

He was moving forward before he realized it, throwing out his arms as he shouted. "WAIT!" And though the fear in the eyes of many didn't falter, Eren knew he had gained their attention for a moment that would be gone as quickly as he had gained it. He felt the eyes of Mikasa and Armin, Yin and Yang, and perhaps the whole of Shiganshina on him. With as firm absolution as he could manage, he said loudly. "These two  _saved_  me, my sister and Mother from a Titan! They're  _not_  our enemies!  _They're not even Titans!_ "

"What are they then?!" Eren turned in the direction of the voice, meeting the sharp silver eyes of a tall, ageing man. His face was lined with wrinkles and his hair was high up on his head, parted to the left with the sides and back being much shorter. He was dressed in what looked to be rags, a rope tied around his waist to keep it all together and it was the golden bands that hung over his chest told Eren who he was. He was one of the Wall freaks, those who believed the structures to be Gods.

Before he could formulate a scathing reply, Yang spoke up in a hard voice that beckoned no argument. "We're here to help. That's all you need to know." He was still at Mom's side and the people looked on with a mix of horror and awe that he had spoken. Yin said nothing, standing still and silent. He was watching Eren, the impression of his unblinking eyes unmissable, but Eren didn't meet the gaze.

Looking around, he saw the various faces fall into what could be classified as solemn expressions. Some had eyes shining with distrust, others seemed too afraid to move. And there were those, like Armin's Grandfather, who looked ready to take action if they had to. The Wall Freak, Eren noticed with dark pleasure, looked downright traumatised. Looking to Armin, seeing the trepidation in his friend's eyes, he gave him a reassuring nod that was sadly met with a dubious stare.

Eren turned his eyes to his mother's prone form, seeing her fulling. Blood continued to leak out of her wounds in steady streams, staining the beige wood beneath her crimson. Her skirt stopped Eren from seeing the full extent of her injuries, but the ugly lumps projecting from beneath the garment told him everything.  _"My legs have been crushed."_ She had told him, her words cutting his heart and destroying his hope. She was beyond help, is what she had tried to tell him and Mikasa. They filled Eren with a sudden, swooping sense of doubt and fear.

How could she possibly be helped now?

Yin was at Yang's side, saying. "I'll do this part."

Yang looked up at his brother. "You sure?"

"You carried her here. It's only fair I heal her."

They stared at each other for a long moment, their faces unchanging. Eren wondered how creatures without facial features could communicate, but something passed through the silence as Yang stood and gave Yin space. The blue and white being crouched by Mom's side paused for a moment as if hesitating, before saying softly. "Don't let anyone interrupt me." Eren watched as Yang looked around as if hunting for any potential problems before taking a few steps back. He looked at Eren once he was near Armin and Mikasa, gesturing him to come his way. Eren obeyed, coming to stand beside his friends.

Yin stretched his right index finger and it turned into a sharp blade, reaching down to cut a line in the middle of Mom's skirt with an audible tearing sound. He pulled the sides apart gently, exposing her legs to the warm late afternoon air. Eren swallowed as some people gasped and winced, Armin's Grandfather swearing lowly, feeling sick. There was bone jutting out in odd placing on both bloody legs. Neither brother reacted in the slightest. Yin held both his palms over the middle of both, above the damaged limbs. What he thought he was doing, Eren had no idea, but he watched with rapt attention and desperate hope as the armoured being took a deep breath and just stopped breathing altogether.

The metal orb in his forehead flashed with power.

Eren felt an odd itching erupt over his scalp, as though a squad of ants were running over his head and biting him. He ran a hand through his brown hair, but there were no ants. The itching persisted, getting worse with each passing second. Glancing at his friends, he saw Mikasa put a hand to her forehead as her face turned with vexation and Armin was rubbing his eyes as if they were irritated. The other civilians, he noted, were all showing signs of either being sick or disoriented. Yang seemed to have turned into a statue, standing so still that time itself seemed to slow to a halt around him, the orb in his forehead dimly lite.

Yin was equally still, the orb in his head pulsating like a heart. The pale palms of his hands were glowing a bright, ethereal white.

Eren felt as if everything he knew was being stretched and frayed as the tension mounted. It was difficult to think, to breath. He felt small and so very young, scared in a way that differed from the fear that had swarmed his heart since he saw that large skinless Titan peek over the Wall. Just when it seemed that the whole of creation would shatter and full apart under the stillness, everything yanked itself back into place and Eren drew in a massive breath. As his lung took desperate intakes of air, he was idly aware of everyone else looking deeply rattled and pulling themselves together. Some seemed to have even fainted.

Yin pulled his hands away from Mom's legs and though covered with crusted blood there were no wounds. No split skin or jutting bones. A pair of smooth, normal legs. Eren stared at them, a familiar sight, numbed with disbelief. Behind him, he heard Armin's Grandfather mutter something about divine intervention.

Eren's heart spluttered when Mom's eyes fluttered open, her golden brown orbs confused and bleary. "What...?" She croaked; face creasing with confusion and fear before Yin brushed his hand over her forehead and she fell silent, her eyes slipping close and face falling slack. Yin then moved from a crouch to a sitting position and heaved a sound that Eren believed to be a deep sigh, heat gushing out of the sides of his face. Even though his face offered no emotion, his body spoke of a great weariness.

Eren moved forward, body numb. His heart was screaming, pounding in his ribcage, hoping beyond hope that what he had just seen was real and not a sign that his mind was finally breaking under the strain of the day. When he came to stand a foot away from his saviour, he reached out a trembling hand. He wanted to place it on Yin's shoulder but found himself incapable of closing the distance.

"I've put her to sleep," Yin answered the unspoken question, his distorted voice low. He sounded sapped of strength. "Best that she rests for now." He turned his blood red eyes to Eren, eyes so inhuman and strange that they should have terrified Eren, speaking in a voice that implied a warm smile. "She's going to be alright, Eren. She'll be as good as new when she wakes up."

Wakes up, he said.

His mother was going to wake up.

Good as new, he said.

His mother was going to be alright.

She's going to be alright, he said.

His mother was going to  _live_.

Eren felt a rock lodge itself into his throat, cutting off words as his breathing became deep and frantic. His eyes burned and his vision blurred as he dropped to his knees and took his mother's hand, pressing it to his eyes. It was warm and soft. His body heaved and sounds left his throat that he didn't recognize and sounded rather undignified but it  _didn't matter_.

Mom was going to live.

Everything was going to be okay now.

* * *

Armin watched Eren cry.

As far as memory served him, and it did quite well if he said so himself, Eren had never cried. At least, not in his presence. Unlike himself, whenever Eren got hurt or upset, he never responded with sadness or tears. It was always anger. Anger was Eren's response to anything that came his way and didn't agree with him, almost literally in some cases. When they didn't agree on matters, anger. When he fought the bullies who picked on him, anger. When someone said something that didn't fall in line with what he believed in, anger.

Anger, unrelenting and sometimes blinding, was Eren's response to most things in life.

Of all the people Armin knew, only Mrs Yeager seemed to have the best calming effect on Eren. So perhaps it was the fear of losing that calm, the fear of losing that one thing that Eren couldn't truly get mad at, that had brought such fear into Eren's heart.

And perhaps it was the simple relief of knowing his mother would be alright that brought forth tears from Eren's eyes now.

But regardless, Armin thought no less of his friend as he pressed his mother's hand into his face and cried. He watched as Mikasa went to join him, throwing her arms around him as his body shook with palpable relief. She was shaking too, Armin noticed, and not for the first time did he wonder what had happened to Mikasa before she had entered their lives. What the story was behind the scarf around her neck.

It was comforting, in an odd way, to see them both like this. Eren and Mikasa, the strongest people he had ever known, nearly coming apart with relief at the knowledge that Mrs Yeager would live to see tomorrow. It was nice to see them undone by the same thing that affected other people, he summarized.

The blue and white creature, a thing with a form so unnatural that Armin found himself staring unabashedly at him, was still sitting. He -was it really a he?- watched as Mikasa gently rocked Eren back and forth, face unreadable. Armin twitched when the other, the red and black one who was near identical save for the colours, finally broke his stillness and moved to his double's side. Offering him a hand, he lifted him to his feet. Yin swayed a little where he stood. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." The blue one waved his free hand and it looked as though it was an effort to even raise it at the wrist. "Just give me a moment."

Armin noticed then that the other civilians that had earlier looked at the duo with fear and mistrust, who Eren had bravely stopped from either attacking the two or flying into a panic, were now staring at the warriors with eyes full of equal amount of reverence and fear. Though the former was stronger than the latter and some people had hands stretched out as though they wanted to touch the two but did seem able to go through with that wish. Perhaps they felt that they weren't worthy.

They were whispering amongst themselves, passing along what they had seen to those who hadn't been able to glimpse it. A woman who had her legs ruined was now able to walk again. It defied explanation. The only thing that it could be classed as was a miracle.

The blue one seemed to collect himself, making a deep, metallic rattling sound like an inhale, standing tall whilst the metal orb in his forehead flashed with power. He looked at the people around him and his brother, and then looked to Eren and Mikasa as they stood by Mrs Yeager. Nodding silently to himself, he then turned his head to the top of the Wall. Armin followed his gaze, saw the smoke that trailed into the sky and felt a pang in his chest when it became painfully apparent that his home would be gone for good. There was no coming back from this. "Come on," He said, his soft distorted voice ringing clearly in Armin's ears. Any previous weariness was gone, replaced with steel. "We're far from finished here."

The red one nodded without a word and followed his brother as they made their way to the edge of the boat. Armin watched them. When he opened his mouth he intended only to speak the words, but they came out as a shout. "Wait!"

The two warriors stopped just as they were about to place their feet on the rail of the boat. They turned and looked at him. Armin cringed under the intensity of their unblinking crimson eyes, feeling his Grandfather's hands clench his shoulders. When they didn't say anything, do anything, he asked as clearly as he could. "W-what are you two?"

Grandfather spoke up before he could get an answer. "You're not human." It wasn't an accusation, despite the touch of suspicion in his voice. It was an observation, a fact that needed to be spoken aloud. Armin wished he hasn't tossed it so bald-faced as he did.

Without a single shift in their expressions, the two move their gazes from Armin to Grandfather. The blue one said. "No, we are not."

Armin looked up to see his Grandfather nod.

"Then what are you?" A woman from the crowd around them asked. She looked at them with her hands clasped together like a prayer. "Are you angels?"

The red one gave a short, surprisingly bitter chuckle. "We're  _far_  from that, lady."

"Devils?" Hissed the man in robes, glaring accusingly at the two. Armin knew him as one of the preachers of the Walls.

"Sir," The blue one said calmly, without a smidgen of anger. "If we are not human, why must we be divine?"

"Because there is nothing else!" Snarled the man, anger and fear potent in his voice.

"We don't have time for this shit." Muttered the red one, sounding impatient. He took steps forward from his companion and said loudly. "We are Guyvers." He put a hand to his chest. "I am Guyver Yang, the Black Guyver." He pointed to the other. "This is Guyver Yin, my brother. The White Guyver."

The whispering rose in pitch, becoming heated and awed. Armin looked around, seeing the emotions fly over people's faces. The miracle workers had named themselves. What were Guyvers, Armin had no idea, but he knew that it was a matter of little importance to the people around them.

"Yin and Yang." Armin heard Eren breath and turned to find his friend looking at the two with wide, wet green eyes.

"Seriously? You're playing  _that_  card again?" Yin sounded quite annoyed, perhaps even a little bit embarrassed. "We don't even-" He stopped dead, suddenly turning very still. His head turned suddenly to face the gate, moving stiffly, like a bird's. The metal orbs on either side of his heads move in the same direction. "Oh no..." He breathed and his voice was filled with horror.

Yang's voice, by contrast, was laced with furious disbelief. The orbs in his head were moved in the same way. "They're closing the gate. The cowardly sons of bitches are leaving those behind to  _die!_ " His words reached Armin ears and strangled gasps of horrors punched through the air from the others.

Armin felt a cold pit open in his chest. He didn't know how the two of them knew this but he knew that it was the truth. And he knew that, if the Garrison were performing such actions, then things had finally reached the point of no return.

This was it, he realized. All the awe and wonder of Yin and Yang's appearance whisked away in the reawakening of the tragedy that had befallen them all.

This was the end. Shiganshina was lost.

"We have to go." Yin snapped and there was a note of urgency in his firm voice. " _Now!_ "

"W-wait, I-!" Whatever Eren had to say was lost under the sudden clap of air that washed over them all like a wave of water. So great was it that Armin had to close his eyes, clinging to his Grandfather's arms, feeling his hair fly about atop of head. Some people cried out. It was over as quickly as it had started and Armin opened his eyes to see Eren had fallen onto his back, along with some other people, and that the Guyvers were gone.

All that was left of them were splintered indents in the wood. The silence was broken quickly by the cries of the people still on the bank, crying out for the beings to save them.

Eren ran to the rail of the boat, looking. Mikasa was at his side in a heartbeat. Armin, after pulling free of his Grandfather's loosen grip, immediately joined them.

The three of them stood there by the rail, three friends who had made it through the chaos, looking on as two beings that defied everything that they had ever known fly back into that chaos.

* * *

A storm raged inside Estevan's chest.

Anger was an old friend. It was a constant storm that brewed within him, distant but ever-present. It propelled him, helped drive him forward to destroy whatever it was that had enticed such emotions. The storm threw thunder and lightning that rattled his rib cage and seared his heart. All other thoughts were gone from his mind.

Whatever angered Estevan, no matter  _what_  it was, he confronted.

The bigger the threat, the greater the challenge.

And it was one of the banes of knowing Joshua Martin who, ever the calm Brit that never angered easily, grabbed him by his ankles and yanked him back. "Stop!" He barked, taking him by the shoulders now and shaking him. Estevan could easily picture his expression under the Guyver. "This is going to solve  _nothing!_  You  _know_  it won't!"

Hovering in mid-air, Estevan slapped his hands off him. "We can't let them do this! They're leaving people to  _die!_ " Thunder roared in his ears. Soon he'd be spitting fire like a human flamethrower. "We have to do  _something!_ "

That, he knew even amidst the storm, was somewhat hypocritical of him. It was blasted away by a bolt of lightning.

"They don't matter!" Josh yelled with a struggling calm, like someone struggling to hold driftwood in a perilous sea. "We have to help-!"

He stopped. So did Estevan. So did all the noise of the civilians that crowded the bank.

Stomping. Something large and heavy was coming, its footfalls audible even on the other side of the wall.

The two looked at each other, knowing that the conversation was over. The storm seethed silently, never truly extinguished, but now he was deaf to its thunder. They flew upwards the length of the wall, coming to land and jog to the other end. Overlooking the path that led to the gate, they saw the source of the sounds making its way towards them.

Estevan boggled at the sight. "What the-?!"

It was a Titan, 15 meters high. At first glance, that was all Estevan saw, another Titan. However, looking over its body a second time, he realized that it was far more than just another Titan.

In place of normal flesh, the giant had plates of golden armour covering the entirety of its body, except for the muscle tissue behind its knees, elbows, and feet. The glow of its eyes was visible from the distance they were at, white organic lenses like a camera's eyes, and it has short, silver blond hair atop its head. It was a bulky creature, with broad shoulders and a six-pack that would leave people jealous if it were on a normal person. Its body, with the thick muscles and armour, had to be heavy in mass.

"What the actual hell is that?!" He spat.

"Some kind of...armoured Titan." Josh breathed. To Estevan's disgust, he then said. " _Fascinating_."

"'Fascinating'?" Expressions were pointless, so Estevan made sure that his words expressed how much he didn't care for his brother's opinion of the thing.

Judging by the Brit's reply, he heard the anger and choice to ignore it. As usual. "Look at it: A Titan with actual defence. With a body like that, it should be resistant to just about anything the people throw at it."

"And us?"

"We should be able to take it. Although its size might prove an issue and we have no idea who dense that amour-"

Josh's abrupt halt didn't require explanation. Estevan knew he could feel it too. The Guyver had been working away with it, slower than Estevan would have preferred, perhaps just as discombobulated as they were with the situation. It saw the creatures, understood the potential threat they possessed and decided to give its host a leg up. Being the good,  _helpful_  parasite that it was, it fed the information directly into Estevan's brain, telling him that he could fight the creature on equal ground. To an outsider, they would have just seen the Control Metals on both Guyvers flash.

To a layman, it was basically the Guyver saying: "New technique unlocked!"

The only thing missing was a pop-up icon.

"There's no way…" Joshua breathed, disbelief thick in his voice. "Surely not…"

The people down below saw the Titan as it came to a stop at the top of the path and Estevan heard their sounds of shock. Clearly, this creature wasn't a common sight. He watched as the Titan shifted and move into a crouched position before, in a burst of speed despite heavyweight its armour should have caused it, charged. It had a straight path towards the gate. He watched as cannonballs slammed worthlessly into its body, leaving no hint of damage.

Its objective was clear.

"Well?" The was no reason to put forth the question. Estevan knew what Josh's answer would be the moment they both saw the strange Titan.

"…Let's go," Josh said and his voice was firm and without flaw.

Estevan grinned under the Guyver's expressionless face, a feral thing akin to a wolf smelling blood.

* * *

Hannes had made it the inner gate of Shiganshina as quickly as he could.

As he had feared, all of the town's people had fled to the boats for salvation. Really, the crafts were stationed for cargo transfer up to Trost, but the size of them made them ideal carriers for large numbers of people. In worst case scenarios, they were to take civilians on the canal up to Trost, to the safety of Wall Rose.

Hannes prayed to whatever God looked over this shitty world that things wouldn't get  _that_  bad.

Shiganshina may have been breached, but as long as the inner gate remained, they should be able to contain the situation. That, of course, was hoping that giant Titan from earlier didn't turn up to repeat its actions.

And Hannes had some hope. He may not have been their favourite person, but he believed that Yin and Yang could turn the situation around. They were more powerful than any number of soldiers could ever be, perhaps greater than the  _entire_  Survey Corps combined, and they clearly cared about people.

Hannes didn't know what they were and where they came from, but that didn't matter. They had done what he couldn't, just because they wanted to save Carla and her children, and that was enough. They could save them, all of them.

They  _had_  to.

And that hope became greater, became desperate when the gate began to lower. Hannes was in the gate's chamber quickly than lighting, trying to take hold of the situation. He may have been a coward, but he had enough sense to know that this had to be stopped.

"Are you crazy?! There are still people out there; you have to give them a chance! Keep the gate open!"

The soldier, whose name escaped Hannes at the moment, look how Hannes must have when he came face to face with the Titan. Every time he blinked, he could see that damn smile— "We can't let the Titans get through the inner gate! They do, and the handful of people out there will be the least of our problems! If they break through, there won't be enough resource for humanity in the next Wall!"

Panic and anger clenched Hannes' heart. The words were true, he knew, but he dreaded how the warriors would react when they learnt about this. He highly doubted there would be mercy for any of them. Between them and Titans, he would rather take the latter. "We're soldiers, we don't get to decide who lives or dies!"

Rushing footsteps behind him. "What are you waiting for?!"

Hannes looked over his shoulder at the two men at the entrance. Their names he remembered, Tyson and Wald. The latter cried. "The Titans are about to get through the gap!"

That was the last straw. "That does it!" Barked the solider -No, his name was Rinehart- turning to those who stood by the mechanisms that keep the gate up. "Bring her down!"

Hannes then remembered that Hugo was still out there.

Hugo who, despite his love for alcohol and rounded appearance, could snap into duty faster than any other member of the Garrison regiment stationed here than Hannes knew. Himself included.

His friend, who right now would be commanding the cannons outside the inner gate. Hannes knew Hugo well enough to know that he wouldn't leave his post.

His friend was going to die out there.

"No!" Hannes cried and his voice was punctured by a blast of air. His heart froze. The warriors, they were coming. They knew. They knew and they were coming to pass judgement on them all. When he realized that Tyson and Wald had him in by each arm, he struggled desperately. "Let me go! You don't understand!  _They're coming!_  They'll kill us all for this!"

A flicker of confusion filled Rinehart's fearful gaze. "Who's coming?"

Hannes didn't answer. A sound stabbed the air, followed by another. Stomping. Something large and heavy was coming their way. They all turned their eyes upwards, listening.

Then the sound stopped, briefly, and restarted. This time faster. Not stomping,  _running_.

Hannes slipped through the loosen hold Tyson and Wald's had on him and ran out, feeling the ground shake under him. He heard the blast of cannons, the crash of cannonballs impacting into something. Amidst the stomping, he heard screaming, saw soldiers pour through the gate in terror, and then felt a shard of ice spear him as Hugo's terrified voice rang clearly through the chaos:

"Retreat!  _RETREAT!_ Close the gate now! We're being charged! Go!  _Go!_   _GO!_ "

Charged? By  _what?_

The stomping grew louder and closer and just when Hannes thought he'd get a front row seat to the destruction of the inner gate, blue and red shone through the gate and from over the Wall and the sound of two heavy things crashing to the ground rang through the air.

The following noises resounded through the air: the  _gong_ -like sound of a bell being struck, the sound something heavy grinding into dirt before stopping. The sounds of something large moving through the air and metal being repeatedly struck was like a chorus of cannonballs firing.

The sounds echoed in an otherwise silenced world.

Hannes watched as the men who had run desperately through the gate come to a halt, looking behind themselves in bafflement. Hannes ran past them, towards the other end of the gate. Though he already had an idea of what was happening, he had to see it himself. He had to. He came to a skidding halt just before the lowering gate.

Stopped, and stared with his jaw hanging open.

This sight he would see forever:

He would see the being known only as Yin and Yang, battling the creature later dubbed the Armoured Titan. Standing a towering fifteen meters tall, the average Titan height, he would see them fighting side by side against their opponent. Their fists flying in blurs of red and blue, he would watch them push back the abnormal Titan.

The lowering gate was the only thing that snapped Hannes back into action as it came down to obscure his view. Quickly, Hannes ran back to the other end whilst the battle echoed behind him. There, the people of the Garrison were discussing among themselves. He didn't need to guess that they had seen the duo. He saw their expressions range from awe to fear, amazement and terror. To his joy, Hugo was with them. The man was staggering towards him, looking pale and out of breath with a sheen of sweat on his brow. "H-Hannes, did you see that?!"

"Hu-"

"I-it was armoured! Head to toe! It- It ran at us!"

"Hugo, I-"

"And there was this light and then those  _things_  came and-!"

"Hugo!" Hannes grabbed his friend by the shoulders and shook him firmly. "Listen to me: Get. A.  _Grip_. Our town needs us at our best right now!" He saw clarity flood the rotund man's eyes and watched his cheeks turn red with an embarrassed flush. Hugo held his pride quite dearly. When he tried to stutter an excuse, Hannes gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Forget about it, man. I get it, trust me." He saw the bafflement on Hugo's face and decided he would fill him in on the details later.

Turning to the others, all of whom were looking to him for orders, Hannes took a fortifying breath.

They had jobs to do, no slouching off permitted.

* * *

_"Okay, we are TOTALLY going against the Square-Cube Law here."_

The thought drifted through Josh's head as he and Estevan fought against the Metal Titan, who had thrown up its arms in defence to their blows. Each connection of their fists against the armour-plated forearms made a sound like a weapon smith's hammer on an anvil.

Joshua allowed himself to feel the relief in that their growth in size had gone without fail, that the expansion of their size and mass hadn't torn them apart.

It really was amazing, what their Guyvers could do.

But changing size like this had to have a drawback, a cost, so Josh waited for the inedible catch.

When they were a couple of feet away from the gate, Josh paused his attack to pull back and slam the sole of his right foot into the Titan's metal chest. At the same time, Estevan crouched to drive a powerful left fist into the monster's abdomen. Both their attacks resounded with metal noises. The combined force of their attacks sent the Titan skidding back, it throwing out its hands to the houses at its side. Glass, wood and brick rained onto the ground as the Titan tried to find stable purchase to halt itself.

When it finally did stop, almost completely at the other end of the path, the Titan leaned forward with a bowed head. Almost as though it were heaving. Then it looked up at them, its foes, and Josh finally got a chance to look the enemy face to face.

Unlike the others he had seen so far, who all seemed to have their facial muscles locked into a frozen expression of morbid bliss, this one's armoured face seemed incapable of managing even a rictus grin. It didn't even have lips, just a thin grimace between its upper and lower jaw. Its white eyes, glowing faintly like torches, surveyed them silently. Joshua was intrigued despite himself because he was certain that this Titan was not as mindless as all the others were. It had tried to break down the gate; it was covered in protective armour as if it had been expecting resistance. Like a living, walking battering ram.

As it straightened and rose to its full height, Josh saw the small dents his kick and Estevan's punch had left in the thing's armour. He grimaced.

They should have been able to do  _more_  damage than that.

Hands curling into fists at its side, the Metal Titan moved forward slowly. It radiated the intent for battle, its weight making the ground shudder under its footfalls and loose roof tiles to fall and shatter on the ground. A hint of its great mass.

"You wanna go first or shall I?" Estevan's voice sounded slightly different in this height. The words were deeper, shuddering the airwaves around them. They rattled his eardrums. He was quite certain that, if he shouted, the words would be heard from the other side of the town. He also sounded unperturbed, eager for battle. Not that Josh really expected anything different.

He would have proposed a quick game of rock paper scissors to decide but the situation was too dire to allow it. He wasn't in the mood, either. With a flick of his hand, he said. "Go for it."

Estevan needed no further prompt. Josh watched Estevan break into a sprint towards the Titan, the promise of pain radiating with every step he took before he jumped.

The Titan stopped, a lurch of surprise running through its body before it quickly moved to avoid Estevan's approaching fist. Its back smashed in the fronts of two homes as Estevan flew past it, the air displaced by the missed attack running down the path like a wave that turned all the glass into glittering shards and nearly obliterating a house at the end.

Neither wasted any time, Estevan whirling from where he had landed in a crouch and the Titan moving from where it had pressed against the homes. All in the same instant.

The golden fist of the Titan was reared back for a strike, flying forward, only for Estevan to use both hands to smack down the strike, ruining its momentum. Without wasting a second, he leapt back to his full height while sticking out a knee. The sound it created against the Titan's head was not unlike the  _gong_  of a bell.

The Titan reared back from the strike and Estevan wasted no time is using its discombobulation to his advantage. His left fist flew and connected squarely with the Titan's cheek, making its head snap to one side. The monster responded in kind, a left of its own crashing into Estevan's face. Estevan staggered back before righting himself, viably shaking off the pain before surging back in retaliation.

When the Titan shot a wild left, Estevan's hands went out to grasp its arms and halt the strike's progression. With a yank whilst pulling the offending limb downwards, he turned their positions so Josh now saw Estevan's crimson back. He watched his brother give the Titan a knee to the gut, barely hurting it at all before he then jumped and brought a savage right onto the Titan's cheek. It dropped to a crouch and, through his brother's legs; Josh saw the new hollow of its cheek.

Joshua's frown deepened to the point of scowling, worry gnawing his gut. He had seen his brother wipe the floor with foes far more threatening than a giant. But then they had been human-sized, both them and the monsters. They were bigger now. It seemed that the Square-Cube Law was in effect after all.

Estevan raised his right leg and brought his foot down like an executioner's axe but it was caught in an armoured hand. The Metal Titan glowered up at him and Josh's Head Sensors caught the sound of metal groaning under pressure. The Titan then rose to its full height whilst shoving, causing Estevan to flip backwards. His hands left indents in the earth before gravity brought his feet back down onto the ground. He quickly went back on the offensive, swinging a wild left with a snarl.

Josh watched as his brother's attack was blocked by an armoured forearm. The opposing arm was then punched by the Titan's left hand that came back in a backhanded fist across Estevan's face, followed swiftly by a right hook that made Josh flinch. He felt that from where he was standing. Snarling like a rabid beast, clearly becoming drunk from rage and the fight itself, Estevan's hands shot out to grab the Titan's arms and pulled, making it stumble into the homes beside it so it was now it and Estevan were facing each other.

The move barely slowed either of them down, both of them moving to strike the other in a blind uncoordinated move. Both strikes hit their targets, making both fighters move back into the homes behind them. Wood snapped, tiles fell and glass shattered. Estevan snapped out a stiff right that the Titan caught by the wrist, pulling Estevan forward to drive a knee into his gut. It pushed Estevan back to slam its right forearm into his face but Estevan blocked it with his own forearm. Acting fast, his brother gave a blow to the side and leaned back to avoid an overhead right. He tried for an uppercut but the Titan moved with surprising speed and managed to a left jab right into the gut.

Josh heard Estevan give a strangled sound of pain and felt a cold feeling erupt in his chest when he saw his brother almost lose his footing. Almost fall from the pain. Clearly, the Square-Cube Law wasn't just going against them, it had knocked them down several pegs in this new height.

And this Titan, it wasn't just intelligent, it was  _trained_. It  _knew_  how to fight.

The big question:  _How?_

Estevan had enough sense to move when the Titan surged forwards, taking hold of the crimson Guyver to spin and slam him into the homes it had been pushed into. Estevan threw it arms off him and pushed it, the force sending the Titan back onto the homes parallel. It fell with such force that the buildings collapsed under its weight, nearly making the monster fall flat on its arse had it not shot its hands out to the neighbouring homes for support. Estevan saw an opening and moved to take it, roaring like an animal but the Titan was quicker, rearing back and shooting out a leg, getting Estevan straight in the chest. The force of it sent him barrelling back, crashing through four rows of homes in a great burst of dirt, wood, glass and stone.

Estevan did not get back up.

"Damn." Josh breathed, somewhere between awe and horror. It had been a very long time since Josh had seen Estevan get knocked down so easily. Knocked down, but not beaten. Never beaten.

Now it would be up to him to pick up the slack. As usual.

The Titan returned to its feet and turned to face Joshua. In the setting sun, the Brit saw all the new depressions that Estevan had left on the Titan's body. And, despite everything Estevan had done to it, it moved forward. Still intent on causing damage.

Acting on blind instinct, Josh threw up his hands. "Wait, WAIT!  _Stop!_ "

The Titan came to a halt. There were only a few meters between it and the gate. Josh stood between them.

Joshua released a breath. His heart thundering in his chest. Within the Guyver, he had no nervous sweat or rise in body temperature. All of that was converted into energy to propel him forward. A small comfort. "Okay. You clearly aren't like the other Titans, I can see that. You can think. So, that means you have the ability to  _choose_. Please leave. Just- just walk the other way. Take your kind with you and leave these people in  _peace_. Please!  _You don't have to do this!_ "

What a sight it must have been, the Brit mused. He, a Guyver, begging a Titan for peace. But that was who he was and he had a sinking suspicion that it would never enter the people's minds to ask a sentient Titan for peace. Not that he could blame them.

Two sets of eyes, both glowing faintly, stared into the other. One was murky white, the other was blood red. The Titan was still for a long moment and for the span of single heartbeat Josh believed it would turn away. Then, with sudden speed, the Titan surged forward and closed the distance between them.

Josh hated the disappointment that seared his chest.

"Bugger!" Blindly, his right foot went out in a front kick, the sole of his foot connecting with the Titan's chest while both of the monster's palms shoved into his chest. His kicked had zero effect, he saw, as he the force of the shove sent him tumbling back into the gate. He bounced off it, hearing stone and chains crunch behind him as he ducked under the Titan's right strike. He blocked the following left uppercut and varied between blocking and slapping aside the following strikes with his hands and forearms.

It felt weird to fight at this height but Josh adapted quickly, almost surprised by how easily he had fallen into his preferred fighting style. The Metal Titan's strength was great indeed, as strong as a well-trained man was in his prime.

He held up both hands, palms crossed together and stumbled back when the strike hit them. He fell back against the wall and then found himself precariously close to the Titan. Thankfully, the art of Wing-Chun was made around close range combat. His arms worked together, doubling the strength of his blocks. A left blocked with his right arm supported by his left hand against the bicep, the following right blocked the same way. The next left, however, made contact. His eyes saw the mistake: The Metal Titan's left fist flying  _around_  his right wrist to get at its target. The blow was punctuated by a fleshy crunch and Josh dropped down to one knee, the right side of his face flaring with pain. The Titan used this to its advantage and a right uppercut flew his way. Josh saw it and moved back just in time, the knuckles of fist grazing his armoured head.

The walls were durable enough for him, he noted as he bounced off it yet again before surging forward. He gave a front kick to the Titan's knee, causing the limb to jerk back but got caught by another left that almost took his head off. This time, though, Josh steeled himself and remained standing as the pain speared his skull. It was numbed quickly and then his hands were flying forward, his left wrapping around the Titan's left wrist whilst his right hand grabbed the arm by the elbow. He struggled, fighting against the monster's raw strength as its free hand pushed against him. While not able to use powers that could have rendered the Titan dead five times before its corpse hit the ground, he was still strong enough to grapple with it.

He forced the rim of his right hand into the elbow whilst putting his strength into his left, forcing the Titan's forearm to bend and point upwards. He moved closed, left knee jutting up into the Titan's solar plexus. The sound it made was akin to a blacksmith's hammer against an anvil. The sound came again and again as Josh kept kneeing the Titan, forcing the Titan back a few steps. He was annoyed. The metal covering the Titan's body was indeed tough. The knees were having next to no effect. Finally, the Metal Titan yanked its arm free and sent both fists at Josh's chest. The combined blow had him flying back, the soles of his feet skidding against the ground before he yelled and threw out his arms. He stopped a few meters from hitting the gate. The airwaves caused by his action were great, washing over the land and kicking up great plumes of dust and debris before the wind currents settled.

Joshua released a breath and the Guyver Unit expelled excess heat.

He then walked forward to meet his foe.

As he allowed the Titan to make the first move, a veil of calmness took over the Brit and a strategy formed before his eyes. The first strike he smacked away. The second, he bent his right arm so his wrist could come up and redirect the blow into his left palm. The third was smacked between both wrists, halting its momentum. As predicted, his following right to the head was blocked but it gave him time to manoeuvre the arm so that the side of his hand came into the crook of the left elbow to stop short a blow. Both palms halted a following right uppercut whilst his returning left was blocked. All as he predicted. As the Titan moved to counter, Josh made his move. His left hand grasped the back of the Metal Titan's armoured neck whilst his right hand moved to grab his own left biceps. This left the right elbow parallel with the monster's neck, its golden head standing out between the two blue arms. It quickly wrapped its own arms around Yin, hands grasping together behind his back. They were locked together.

Josh's heart sang with victory.

Josh pushed against the Titan and they stumbled back, away from the gate. With any luck, the boats holding the civilians (holding Eren and his family) were already far away from here. He prayed that be the case. The Titan tried to halt their movement and Josh swiped his feet out, missing just by a second. The Titan was certainly not stupid. He managed to wrap his left around the back of its right knee and  _pulled_ , trying to make it buck, but the Titan was having none of it and stretched its right leg back. Josh spread his legs slightly, trying to stay upright until his foe abruptly bent its left knee and squeezed its arms. They fell and Josh was reminded of the great weight the bulky creature possessed, body bending under the strain.

They stilled in that peculiar position which left Josh with his arse sticking out. The Titan's hands were locked together over the uppermost part of Josh's back, trying hard to make him lose control over his hold through strength alone. Despite the monumental strain, he stood strong and pushed against the weight, feeling the ground crack and splinter under his feet. An audible sound of two different kinds of metal straining filled the air. Then Joshua heard the sound of something akin to fine china cracking.

The Titan straightened its right leg abruptly and they returned to a standing position, it broke its hold on him to deliver a strong jab to his ribs. The blow winded Josh and his hold faltered. The Titan wasted no time breaking the hold and shoving him away. Before he could react, it shot out its left leg and the sole of its foot collided with his chest. Joshua soared back, the heels of his feet skidding against the ground before his back slammed into something large and solid. The wall. Stone crunched and chains rattled as he stumbled forward, breathless and disorientated.

He then looked up and-

-the Titan bent forward, charging-

-getting close,  _too fast_ -

-impact, front and behind-

- _pain_ , ribs cracking and sternum fracturing-

-stone shattering-

-dust-

-skidding-

-the Titan on top of him-

-pain-

-blood in his mouth-

-the orange sky above-

-darkness.

* * *

Hannes was there when Wall Maria was breached.

He had more or less assumed command of the situation, despite not being the highest-ranking member of the Garrison division. He had found the Captain of the Military Police division, a man called Veron Brown, whose personality forced Hannes to always make a point to avoid. The two had come to a unanimous agreement: Their differences, in station, rank and person did not matter. Handling the situation took full priority. For the first time in years of knowing each other, the two found common ground.

The Garrison unit stationed at Shiganshina was a small one, mainly due to how far they lived from the mainland, but the numbers of the MPs helped immensely. With 200 men working alongside them, Hannes suddenly found himself with a bit more hope. He and Veron had discussed plans and both Garrison and MP men worked together, searching through the town in case there were any civilians who hadn't managed to get out through the gate whilst others were trying to keep those who hadn't gotten onto the evacuations boats calm. Alone, neither unit was enough. But together, the problem at hand didn't seem too dire.

Hannes had been aware that the latter of their priorities was significantly harder than the former. With both boats fully packed and already on the move, panic would come swooping down to send the rest into a frenzy. They'd literally be clawing for survival. He had prayed that Yin and Yang took care of that abnormal Titan and had enough humanity to spare on the civilians.

He should of, he'd later admit, have been making sure all was going according to plan. However, the sounds of conflict from the other side of the Wall filled him with curiosity and he went to satisfy that urge. He flew up to the top of the Wall, followed by Hugo, Veron and a small handful of men.

Later, he would reflect that it was this urge that saved their lives.

It happened just as his feet made contact with the top of the Wall. The sound of feet stomping before a great explosion filled the air. The entire Wall seemed to shudder and they stumbled. Hannes fell onto his hands and knees, almost losing the contents of his stomach. It passed as quickly as it had approved and he moved blindly, back from the direction he had come.

What he saw crushed his hopes like brittle bones.

He saw the Titan atop of Yin, hands on both his shoulders while it knees were by the sides of his waist, the blue and white warrior laid below it with his arms spread out like a corpse. He wasn't moving. They were both lite by a ray of the setting sun, surrounded by wisps of dust carried by the wind. Clumps of stone rested around them. Hannes' mind supplied him the answer but he couldn't comprehend it, couldn't believe it. Then the Titan moved, standing over Yin, and he understood.

The inner gate of Shiganshina had been destroyed.

Wall Maria had been breached.

"Oh,  _God_..." The words fell numbly from his lips.

It was over.

Everything.

It was all, completely finished.

Once again the Titan had come out victorious, casting aside the valiant efforts of humanity like annoying flies. It took the entirety of Hannes' will to keep himself steady, to stop himself from losing balance and falling over the edge of the Wall. Despair came down to crush him. It was over. There was no hope. No way to stop the Titans. What could they do? What hope was there when even Yin and Yang had fallen to them?

It was when a rage-filled cry punched the air that reminded Hannes, he'd later admit in official interviews, that he had almost completely forgotten about the Black Guardian.

* * *

It had done it.

The abomination among abominations had broken through the wall.

They had  _failed_  to stop it and now there was a great hole in the wall. And through that hole, the Metal Titan was standing over his little brother.

As he charged forward, kicking up dirt and pieces of debris from his earlier battle, Estevan was only half aware of the roar that left his throat. His vision was blurred by a familiar redness whilst thunder rattled his diaphragm. He got to the Titan quicker than expected and once again launched himself into the air once he was through the hole.

This time, the Titan didn't react fast enough.

The sound produced when his fist made contact was a curious mix of metal striking and bone cracking. Something shattered under his fist. Estevan fell into a roll before coming back to his feet, quickly taking note that the boats were already gone and there was still a huge group of civilians left behind, and turning to face the Metal Titan.

To his great pleasure, his fist had dealt the most damage done to the monster thus far. The armour around the Titan's right eye was gone, leaving behind a steaming hole. Blood leaked leisurely out of the wound, dripping over the golden face, as well as from the minute cracks lining its broad shoulders. Josh was able to leave some damage himself and both had established a crucial fact: it could bleed.

And if it could bleed, it could die.

But Estevan had far more intended for the Titan before he'd send it to hell. The Titan had knocked him down and that was frankly unacceptable. He was a Goddamn Guyver and he did not fall down easy. While he could (always) trust Josh to pick up the slack, that did not take away the sting to his pride as a fighter.

He was going to make this freak pay.

The steam of the Titan's wound abated and Estevan was honestly shocked to see a golden eye in place of the flat, glowing sheen from before. It was glaring at him with unambiguous hate and was punctuated when the Titan's armoured lips parted with a crack to bellow. The roar echoed over the land.

A roar of hate. Of challenge.

Estevan was delighted. "Oh, you wanna play, huh?" Excitement burned in his blood like the sweetest poison, making his lips stretch with feral glee and his knuckles pop as his hand flexed and clenched with anticipation. His voice, deeper and radiating far in this new height, rang out in a returning cry. "Okay then,  _let's play!_ "

He charged forward with a battle cry, jerking his head out of the way of a right jab, slamming himself bodily into the Titan with the noise like a car crash. The collision had them moving, pushing the Titan back against the hole it had made whilst it tried to stop them. Estevan ground his teeth in effort, against the pain as the Titan shot body strikes at his back and ribs. They hurt but the Guyver was quick to numb him to the pain.

Finally, when they were halfway through the hole, the Titan dugs its heels into the ground and brought them to a jerked halt. Estevan reacted on instinct, throwing himself onto his back whilst spreading his legs at the same time. A pair of hands clenched together, brought down like a hammer, passed through open air. Estevan brought his feet together, pulled back his legs before shooting them forward, his heels connecting the monster's forehead with a crack.

Once he jumped back to his feet, his crimson eyes leaving a blur of red in the dark, he wasted no time. A kick to the thigh, a second kick to the ribs. Neither had that much effect but brought him a few precious seconds to perform his follow up. He spun, anti-clockwise, hopping as his left foot shot out to slam into the Titan's chest. It staggered back and he pressed on, moving to grapple with it. Estevan intercepted both arms when it tried to grab him, taking the right by the bicep and the left by the shoulder. Pulling with the right and pushing with the left, he forced the Titan's torso to twist and diminished its ability to swing a punch.

He pushed against it, shoving it back through the final stretch of the hole. Light blew away darkness and they were back within Shiganshina. With a quick glance, Estevan saw the Titan trudging towards the break. This would be close—

Shit. At this rate, he wasn't going to have nearly as much fun as he was hoping. Better make the most of it while he could.

With all the force he could muster, he pushed the Titan away to gain some distance. He then leaned back and jumped in place, curling his legs to his chest and placing his hands on the back of his thighs. Allowing gravity to do its job, he waited until his back was parallel with the ground below. Then his legs shot out together, getting the Titan in the chest. The blow was enough that the Titan was sent off its feet, crashing onto its back along with Estevan. It quickly sat up into a crouch just as he leapt back onto his feet, the tiles of nearby houses falling loose when his feet reintroduced themselves to the ground with shuddering thud.

The Titan glared at him with its newly mismatched eyes, one milky white, the other a venomous gold. Its armoured lips were still parted, allowing the American to see its clenched teeth.

The proof of its hate, of how he was steadily angering it, only fed the burning glee within Estevan. Where it not for the Guyver, his face would be hurting from how hard he was smiling, such was the sheer animalistic quality of his expression. To others, the unreadable Guyver showed the merest hints of trembling. They would never have been able to tell it was born from elation.

He was going to win. Without question, without a doubt.

Estevan rose a hand and curled his fingers, inviting the Titan to its death.

Like an idiot, like the countless before it, it rose to meet him.

Closing the distance between them swiftly, the Titan drew back its right fist in a strike. Estevan shoved it aside with his right hand, crashing the back of his left fist across the Titan's already hollowed cheek. A straight right jab from him was diverted by a wrist, the following left hook colliding with already damaged wrists. A hard right to the dented guts broke the Titan's defence, leaving its face wide open for a left hook. It met the repugnant face with a satisfying noise.

The right hook which would have greeted the Titan's face was stopped short, the wrist grabbed by the Titan's right hand. It acted fast, driving a solid left into Estevan's face. The force of the strike whipped his face to the side, straining his neck with whiplash and exploding stars in his vision. He couldn't clear his vision fast enough, a blow to his solar plexus knocking the air from his lungs. Through bleary eyes, Estevan saw the Titan claps its hands together and rear them back before swinging them like a hammer. It felt like being hit by a hammer, with the way it collided with his chin and knocked him off his feet. He flew back into a house, the structure collapsing into a heap.

He regained his sense quick enough to see the Titan stomping towards him; hands stretched out to most likely grapple him. Rolling to the side and leaping to his feet, he shot a left jab that was smacked aside almost contemptuously. A hard left struck him again, sending him back. Before he could recover, the Titan's right hand clasped the side of Estevan's head and slammed his skull onto the roof of the house beside them. Yanked back to his feet, held fast by the horn on his head, the Titan then rammed its left fist into his chest whilst letting go of its hold on his horn.

Estevan barely felt the ground under his back when he stumbled back, falling when his legs gave out from under him. Hacking, he could taste copper in the back of his throat. He tried to push himself up but the effort he needed to simply push himself up with his hands was monumental. He fell back down, gasping. His ears were ringing and darkness was creeping into the corner of his vision.

He realised with a distant surprise that he was drained. He was tired.

What the fuck? That shouldn't be possible. Scratch that, it was  _impossible_.

When he was within the Guyver, he  _never_  got tired. He could go toe to toe with a Zoalord and have enough energy to fight an army of Battle-Type Zoanoids.

He'd been in the Guyver in this world for barely half an hour and he felt as if he was ready to pass out.

Footsteps. Then, a shadow fell over him, blocking out the orange sky. A single golden eyed stared down at him. Estevan stared up at the Metal Titan, wishing it could see the lack of fear on his face. He wondered if the Titan was going to stomp on his throat, crushing his windpipe in a single blow. He would have if the roles were reversed.

But the Titan didn't step on his throat. It, after peering down at him, moved and walked away, it footfalls making the ground tremble.

What?

It was leaving him behind, unharmed. When he was down and barely able to get up?

—Did it not think he was worth the effort?!

The explosion of rage in Estevan's chest had a blast radius that went from his fingertips right to the soles of his feet. His breath spluttered and felt warm, too warm, like fire coiling in the back of a dragon's maw. Rage gave birth to energy and with a snarl; he slammed clenched fists onto the ground. Suddenly, it was all too easy for him to turn and push himself onto a knee. His eyes homed in on the Titan, already a few strides off, and he shouted, " _Hey!_ "

The Metal Titan whirled back to face him and in its visible, single golden eye was disbelief that quickly gave away to fear and it was  _good_.

Then the Titan started running away in earnest.

" _Get back here!_ " Bellowed Estevan, surging to his feet in a sprint. A familiar redness returned to the edges of his vision. Tiredness all but a distant dream, Estevan felt like he had the power to tear the world apart with his bare hands. Though he would much rather tear apart something warm and full of blood.

A 'normal' Titan, slamming into him from out of nowhere, crashed them into a house, interrupted his pursuit. Completely thrown off, laying in a mess of broken wood and stone, Estevan grappled poorly with its pawing, gore caked hands before his hands found purchase on the monster's neck. Pushing it for distance away from its salivating smile, shoving his knee into its pelvis, he threw it over him and headfirst into another home.

Jumping back onto his feet, another cascade of fury washed over Estevan when he saw how far the Metal Titan had gotten. Strength filled his muscles, bulging under his skin, ready for another sprint-

"Yang! Where are you?!"

-Only to falter at his brother's voice. Looking back at the ruined inner gate, horror stabbed into him when he saw two Titan already making their way into the hole. "Oh, Christ!" Without thinking, he charged towards them.

As he did, he spared a glance over his shoulder and just saw the glimmering form of the Metal Titan in the distance. A deep growl rumbled through clenched teeth, a snake of fire coiling around his heart.  _"The next time we meet, I'll kill you with my bare hands!"_

Anger, worry and the promise of vengeance giving him speed, Estevan made it to the inner gate in time. In the darkness, he grabbed the Titan closes to him by the head and slammed it against the ruined stone beside them. The action brought him enough time to give a kick to the back of the knees of the other Titan, causing it to buck and fall.

Holding the first Titan firm against the stone with his right hand, he brought up his left and flexed his fingers. He imagined them turning into claws and drew them forward into the Titan's nape. No luck, dull fingertips stabbing into flesh. No matter, for he simply forced his fingers into the skin and through blood and muscle until he brushed bone. With a yank, he tore out a clump of flesh. There was a gush of steam and a splatter of blood and with a jerking shudder, the Titan stopped struggling.

Tossing the body aside, he reached forward and grabbed the second Titan by the ankle. Yanking it towards him until he was standing right over it, he dropped forward and drove his knee into the nape. There was a crunch of bone, squish of flesh. The monster writhed under him. Taking its head in both hands, he began to pull it upwards whilst grinding his knee downwards. Skin stretched to breaking, muscles tore and bone popped. With a splash of blood, Estevan tore the head off. Throwing it over his shoulder as he rose to his full height, just to be sure, he brought the heel of his foot down on the already ruined nape. The body stopped twitching.

Stepping forward, panting, Estevan saw Joshua, crouching before the civilians. He came to him, casting glances behind him, and looked over the Brit's shoulder to see that he was collecting them into his hands. Already, his hands were full.

Of course. What else would he be doing?

Josh stood so they were eye to eye. "We have to get them to safety." He said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Estevan looked down at his brother's hands. Hands full of living people. Giant hands full of life, saving them instead of taking them. Anger cooling to strong bitterness in the back of his throat, a smouldering heat, he grunted. "Where the hell do we take them?"

Josh turned and nodded at the waterway the boats had gone on. "Follow the path."

"How? By walking?" It would take too long and they both knew it. He looked down at those that were left and saw that to get them all to safety, it would require a few back and forth trips. He looked back and through the steam of dead Titans saw the shadowed forms of Titans converging. The facts were clear: They would be long dead before they returned.

Josh nodded at the top of the ruined wall. "We'll place them on the top of the wall. Twenty foot wide and long enough for all of them. They'll be safe up there, unless the Titan's learn how to climb."

"Solid, except  _how?_ "

"I was rather hoping..." Josh murmured, crimson eyes falling downwards. Not at the people but at the metal orb on his waist. Estevan watched too, suddenly unable to breathe.

The Control Metal of Josh's Guyver Unit flashed and then so did the orb in his waist. Gently, his feet rose off the ground.

Estevan's Head Sensors rang with the gasps of hundreds of astounded, suddenly hopeful humans.

* * *

_—back and forth, they came, bringing with them shaken but living people before swiftly departing. In less than an hour, save those that were aboard the evacuation boats and those who had died in the start of the chaos, the entire population of Shiganshina were present and the giants became human-sized._

_Reports claim that the jumpiest of the military was swiftly stopped by the civilians, saving their inhuman saviours before they were wrongly attacked. Demands were made for their identities. Very quickly, people started calling these creature angels. Some went so far as to call them Gods. To this day, what they were was never specified nor confirmed._

_What is known that, for the briefest moment in humanities history, hope was alive. Alive and personified by these two creatures._

_But, as suddenly as they had appeared, they left._

_Reports claim that, once the last of the people of Shiganshina were safely place before the outside gate of Trost, they suddenly departed. Without warning or reason, they exploded into the air and went back in the direction they had come._

_Many despaired. Some were optimistic. They claimed that the duo, the Guardians as they would later be known by, were going to help those living in the settlements within Wall Maria. All reports collected within the following days proved this wrong._

_The Guardians vanished, as though they had never existed in the first place._

_A few more days later, Wall Maria was completely lost._

Page 41 - 42 of  _History of the Walls_  by Sarah Stewart (Updated as of 848)

* * *

"You have to leave."

"What?!"

"Please, listen to me, you have to leave right now!"

"Who are you?! How have you found-"

"That doesn't matter! Please, you have to escape whilst you still can!

"Is this a threat?! Are you  _threatening_ -"

" _They know,_  don't you understand?!  _They know_  you're  _here!_  They know that  _I'm_  here!"

"Know? No- No, that's not possible! We've hid-!"

"Who are you?! How have you-?!"

" _Please!_  You have to  _go!_  They're coming! They're coming  _and I CAN'T STOP THEM!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first, full chapter!
> 
> Yep, Carla lives. How will this effect Eren? Read on and find out!
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think!


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